Winter's Dragon
by trumpet trumpet crumpet
Summary: An AU in which Daenerys did not escape with her brother. Daenerys/Robb pairing. Please read and review as I am working without a beta.
1. Chapter 1

Winter's Dragon

An AU in which Daenerys does not escape from Dragonstone with her brother and is raised at Winterfell.

Notes: Obviously this is wildly AU but I couldn't get it out of my brain. I wondered how the story would change if Dany was raised at Winterfell and I started plotting out everything that would change from there. I started with Catelyn's chapter after they find the direwolves as everything prior to that would be the same. It looks very similar to the original right now but that will change as more is effected.

Also, I don't own ASOIAF, George RR Martin does and I know he hates fanfiction but I have to do something until Winds of Winter comes out.

Catelyn

As Catelyn Stark walked through the godswoods to her husband she felt as much like an intruder as she always had in her years at Winterfell. Though she had been married to Lord Eddard Stark for over fifteen years and had born him five children, she still felt like a Southron lady when she walked amongst these woods. The Old Gods of the North were not like the Seven that she had been raised to worship. However, she had troubling news to share with Ned and she knew he would be here after the morning's execution.

She found him cleaning his sword Ice under the huge old weirwood with the carved face that seemed to watch her mournfully as she approached. "Ned," she called out softly.

"Catelyn," he said looking up. "Where are the children?" he asked formally as he always had even after so many years of marriage.

"In the kitchen with the pups arguing over names and playing with the pups. The girls are both enchanted with theirs, though Rickon seems a bit hesitant. Daenerys is helping him to feed his pup," she said smiling, thinking of the girl she had raised that would one day be her good daughter.

Ned smiled as well, then seemed to notice the letter in her hand. "What is it my lady? I know how little you like this place. Is there news?"

Catelyn hated to hurt him, but she had no choice as she divulged the information from King's Landing in the letter, that his foster father, Jon Arryn, had died recently. It hurt her heart to watch her husband's face fall. She knew how much Ned had loved and admired Jon, the man who had raised him, and later protected him from the Mad King, and had continued to be a source of admiration as he ruled as the Hand of the King for Ned's foster brother, King Robert Baratheon.

And yet, even though he was hurting, he still thought of her, inquiring after her sister Lysa, who was now a widow with Jon's death. He was kind enough to offer to let Lysa and her young son come to Winterfell or to let her bring the children to the Eyrie.

"You are kind, my love, but there is more to the letter. The King has also written that he plans to ride for Winterfell to seek you out," Catelyn said. She was rewarded with a small smile as Ned was cheered by the prospect of seeing his oldest friend.

"Robert coming to Winterfell?" Ned asked, the grief slowly leaving his eyes. Catelyn wished she could share the enthusiasm, but the royal letter also brought with it a royal command that Catelyn was not well pleased about and she was unsure as to how Ned would take it.

"He has also asked that we have Daenerys and Robb's wedding while he's here. He is bringing much of his court and he says that it is time as she is a maiden flowered now," she added rather hesitantly.

She saw Ned pause and his eyes clouded over once more. "Aye," he said, "I suppose it is time, that was part of our arrangement when I took Daenerys as ward. They are no longer children, and winter is coming."

The ominous words of House Stark gave Catelyn a chill as they always did. She had been born a Tully of Riverrun and their words were "Family, Duty, Honor," and it was family she thought of know at the prospect of her eldest son being married.

Robb had been betrothed to Daenerys Targaryen from the moment Ned had agreed to take Daenerys on as a ward. Dany had only been weeks old at the time, having been caught at the ancestral seat Dragonstone while the few family's loyal retainers remaining had fled with her elder brother Viserys, now proclaimed a king by the last of the Targaryen loyalists. Ser Willem Darry had tried to take Daenerys and her wet nurse across the Narrow Sea as well but the infant was caught and returned to the new king's court. King Robert Baratheon had wanted the baby murdered, as the other Targaryen infants, though that had been murdered at the hand of Tywin Lannister. However, Jon Arryn had prevailed, reminding him that the peace of Westeros was yet fragile and some reluctant lords would rise up against him if their new king were seen to be a murder like the last king. And so a compromise of sorts had been reached. It was agreed the King Robert's oldest and most loyal friend raise the baby and marry her to his heir to prevent any other houses from claiming the Iron Throne through Daenerys.

Catelyn and Ned had been married only a year at the time, and most of that time had been spent apart because of the war. The two had essentially still been strangers with a new child between them in Robb. Catelyn had been promised to Ned's elder brother, Brandon, until Brandon's death at the hand's of Daenerys's father, the old king, Aerys Targaryen, the mad king. She had not been pleased to discover that she would have to raise a Targaryen in her household and marry that child to her son. Especially since she had already found upon her arrival in Winterfell that her husband had installed his own bastard son in the nursery. However, when she saw Daenerys and thought of her own child being in danger, she understood Ned's compassion in taking the infant into their household. It had actually helped to bridge the distance between the two for Catelyn felt for the first time she saw her new husband as someone beyond the steely Northern Lord of Winterfell.

Daenerys herself had made things easier as well. The little girl grew up into a sweet and pretty child, eager to learn and displaying none of her father's madness. Catelyn had grown to love the girl who would soon wed her son. And she knew Robb was not displeased with the match as the two of them had been caught kissing in the godswoods twice in the past month.

However, Catelyn was not looking forward to the royal visit. There would be much preparation to be made to prepare for a royal visit and the wedding of the future Lord Stark. She also knew Daenerys would be frightened of Robert seeing as he was the one who took her family off the throne and had wanted her death. And Robert himself had never truly forgiven Daenery's family for the events leading up to the rebellion. Catelyn herself was frightened because of the omen she had heard about that morning in the woods. A direwolf killed by a stag. She knew Ned would dismiss it as superstitious nonsense. However it gave her chills even now.

Her husband broke out of his melancholy suddenly, "I suppose we have much planning to do, my lady. Did Robert say when he would arrive? We have to inivite much of the North to this wedding I suppose. We should send a raven to Benjen, he'll want to be here. And perhaps Maester Aemon will want to attend for the sake of Daenerys, if Robert can stomach the presence of two Targaryens beneath our roof."

"I should imagine we have time, my love," she replied. "The royal children will be coming as well, they will not make quick time with them in the party. I imagine that the Queen's brothers will be attending as well. I'm sure Benjen will have time to get here, though I doubt Aemon will be hearty enough to travel. "

Ned's expression soured at the thought of the Queen's brothers, as Catelyn knew it would. "Oh well," Ned replied, "if I have to put up with the Lannisters to see Robert, so be it."

Catelyn hoped Ned would manage to be pleasant to Lannisters and the Queen. There was bad blood between the two families as the Lannisters had come late to Robert's cause. And there was the murder of Rhaegar's young children done on Tywin Lannister's orders. Ned had never forgiven them for that bit of butchery and she knew he was reminded of it when he saw Daenerys.

"Well, we have much to plan," Ned said, practical as always. "A welcoming feast and a wedding for the heir of Winterfell. I shall have Maester Luwin start sending out the ravens. Jory shall have to meet the royal party coming North on the Kingsroad. Gods! How will we feed them all?"

"I imagine we shall manage," Catelyn replied with a warm smile. "However, I think we should inform Daenerys and Robb of their upcoming wedding first."


	2. Chapter 2

I still own nothing, GRRM owns everything. I wasn't planning on updating this fast as I'm having issues with cleaning some of the later chapters, but oh well. Hopefully I'll update again on Monday. Thanks for everyone who has followed/reviewed/added as a favorite. Hope you enjoy! Please read and review!

Daenerys

The North seemed a cold and unforgiving land even in the summer. Daenerys was standing at her window watching the sun set over Winterfell lost deep in thought. She was grateful that the castle itself was heated by hot springs, nothing every seemed to be too hot for Daenerys, which was why she often felt out of place in this cold terrain. She was pondering all the mysteries of the North when her attending maid knocked on the door.

"M'lady," Rose said, "Lord and Lady Stark wish to see you in their solar."

Daenerys smiled at Rose and turned from the window to follow her from the room. She had just begun thinking about the wolf pups Robb and Jon Snow had found while out today, a true surprise in the North. No, not wolves, she thought, direwolves, the sigil of House Stark. She had been as enraptured as all the others playing with the furry creatures, though she was slightly jealous that she would have no new pet. The jealousy must have shown on her face because Robb had leaned down and whispered that they would share his direwolf. That had made her feel better, and the warmth of his breathe on her ear had made her blush and remember their few stolen kisses in the godswoods.

And, she told herself later, it was not like she was a Stark, she was born a Targaryen, so unless someone found some dragons in woods, it was not fitting that she should receive a pet. Daenerys had a hard time feeling like a dragon though. She knew from Maester Luwin's lessons that she was descended from Aegon the Conquerer who conquered the Seven Kingdoms from Dragonstone after escaping the Doom of Valaryia. Dany herself had been born on Dragonstone during a storm, earning her the nickname of Stormborn, but King Robert's men had caught her and her wet nurse while they were attempting to smuggle her across the Narrow Sea where her elder brother now lived. She had been brought north almost immediately to become a ward of House Stark, the family she would one day marry into.

She had always been treated well by the Starks. She and Theon Greyjoy were both wards at Winterfell and they were treated like part of the family. She knew she owed the Starks much as Robert Baratheon had wanted her dead upon capture. She would always be grateful for Lord Arryn and Lord Stark's intervention. Still, sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to know her brother. The only true family she knew now was Maester Aemon in the Night's Watch. He was the elder brother of her great grandfather and he had been very old her whole life. She had only met him twice when he had travelled south to Winterfell in the company Lord Stark's brother Benjen. They had, however, been in correspondence for years.

There were days however when Daenerys yearned for a family. Or at least a family not known for madness. She had been embarrassed as a child when she heard the stories of her father, now known as the Mad King. And even more embarrassed when she heard the tales of what her other brother Rhaegar had done to Lord Stark's sister Lyanna. She had wondered that Lord Stark had raised her at all. She began to have nightmares that King Robert would kill her for merely having the same silver hair and purple eyes as Rhaegar or that Jaime Lannister would cut her throat open with a golden sword as he did to her father. Lord Stark had taken pity on her when she was ten. He had taken her to the godswood and told her a different version of the tale of Rhaegar and Lyanna. With this, she had become a little happier with her heritage. And although she knew she could not speak of Rhaegar's true nature, she held his true history close to her heart.

She passed Theon Greyjoy on her way to the solar. He smiled at her, like he always did. She was fond Theon, an outsider like herself. He had been brought to Winterfell when he was nine years old to be taken on as a ward. Daenerys had only been four years old at the time and had mistakenly believed that them both being wards meant that Theon was her brother. She had followed him around the castle for weeks and he had allowed it in his loneliness. And even though Lady Catelyn had explained things to her, she had never given up the idea that Theon was her brother, and he treated her similarly. When she had nightmares as a child, or when she was sad or lonely, he reminded her that the words of House Targaryen were Fire and Blood, and that she was the blood of the dragon. It was a silly thing to say, as though she were really and truly a dragon, but it comforted her all the same. She hoped one day Theon would wed Sansa or Arya so they could be related through her marriage to Robb.

The prospect of her marriage to Robb had been much on her mind lately. She had grown up knowing she would marry Robb one day but only recently had begun to realize what that entailed. He had grown up to be tall and handsome for which she was grateful, but she was more pleased that he was brave and kind. Dany was also grateful that he found her attractive judging by the way lately he blushed and brought her flowers and kissed her when they had time alone together.

She knocked on the door to the solar and entered and was pleasantly surprised to see Robb waiting with Lady Catelyn and Lord Stark. She gave a curtsey to the Lord and Lady of Winterfell and said, "You asked to see me, my Lord, my Lady?"

Lord Eddard Stark's face was as serious as always, but Daenerys was surprised to see Lady Catelyn seemed somber too. Daenerys momentarily felt panicked until Robb walked to her side and took her hand. She looked up into his eyes and managed to calm herself.

"I received a raven from King Robert today," Lord Eddard began. "It seems he is riding to Winterfell to seek me out. He has asked that we hold your wedding while he is visiting. He is bringing much of the court with him."

As pleased as Dany was to be marrying Robb, the prospect of seeing Robert Baratheon frightened Dany. She squeezed Robb's hand for comfort and said in her strongest voice, "That is good news my lord."

She must not have been convincing because Lord Stark looked at her with his grave eyes and said, "You have nothing to fear Daenerys. You have been under my protection since I took you under my roof. Robert will see you wed to my son, nothing more. I give you my word."

Robb looked down at her and said in voice nearly as serious as his father, "You will be under my protection as soon as I place my cloak around your shoulders. I will never let any man harm you, from a king to the lowest pot boy. I too give you my word."

Dany was surprised to see how much he looked like his father when he was this serious. He normally resembled his mother in appearance. She supposed the blood of the Starks flowed just as deeply in his veins despite his Tully coloring. She managed to give a real smile as she said, "Spoken like the heir of Winterfell, Robb Stark." Everyone laughed and the tension in the room was broken.

Lady Catelyn walked over and took Daenerys into a warm embrace. "Daughter," she said softly. "We have much to plan. But tell me, do you desire to be married in the godswoods or in the sept?"

Daenerys moved her fear of Robert Baratheon to the back of her mind. She could imagine Theon whispering that dragons were not afraid of stags, she wondered if he could be the one to give her away. She knew her answer then.

"The godswood, my lady, I am marrying the heir of Winterfell, it is only fitting that we be married in the sight of the old gods."

She knew she had made the right choice when she looked at their faces. And Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen smiled back at them feeling like she truly belonged in the North at last.


	3. Chapter 3

I still own nothing. GRRM still hates fanfiction. I'm still working on this. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's bothered to read this, especially those who are following this story, or who have listed it as a favorite. And a special thanks to Robin4 and KnightofHolyLight for their reviews! And sorry if this chapter is a little dull, I'm still laying the ground work for the plot.

Robb

As the royal party streamed into Winterfell's courtyard, Robb Stark wondered how they would accommodate all the people. The castle was already more crowded than he had ever seen it with all the guests of the Northern households descending for his wedding to Daenerys.

It was an odd thought that he would be married tomorrow. He did not object to it, after all he had known he would marry Daenerys for as long as he could remember. Still though, they were both still very young. He had only turned fifteen recently and Dany herself was still fourteen. He wished they could marry on their own terms instead of when the king dictated. He did not wish their wedding to be marred by Dany's fear. And Robb was afraid she would think that he did not want to marry her, but was only doing to so because he was ordered to. He hoped their stolen moments together in the past month during the preparations for this visit had convinced her. Theon teased him mercilessly for writing her poems and gathering flowers for her, but Robb wanted her to know how he felt about her now. He wished they had had a normal courtship, meeting and falling in love the way other couples did instead of being raised together with the knowledge of their wedding every present between them. He knew he should be grateful that they got along well and were not coming to this marriage as strangers, but Robb still wondered what it would have been like to meet Dany and come to love her without royal orders.

Daenerys herself stood at his side, clutching his arm nervously. She was dressed all in grey and with her silver hair done up in an intricate braid he thought she looked like a vision of the Maiden come to life. When he had complimented her on the choice of colors, as grey and white were the colors of House Stark, she had thanked him but in a much more distracted way than usual. He knew she was afraid and he wished he could do anything to alleviate her fear.

He searched the riders for the sources of her distress. He recognized Jaime Lannister first with his gold armor and his white cloak of the Kingsguard. He rode into the courtyard looking confident and bored. However, he was not the source of Dany's main distress. Robb searched for his father's oldest friend, King Robert Baratheon, but he could not see anyone matching the description father had always given him when telling stories of his youth in the Eyrie, or tales of the Robert's Rebellion, or the more recent Greyjoy Rebellion. Then he saw two other knights of the Kingsguard towards the rear of the procession guarding a hugely fat man wearing the black and gold of House Baratheon. Surely that was man not the king. Father had always described Robert Baratheon as something akin to the Warrior made flesh. All Robb saw in front of him was an old fat man with red cheeks.

And yet it seemed he was the king. "Ned!" the man that Robb now realized was King Robert Baratheon roared out. "It is good to see that frozen face of yours." The king grabbed Robb's father in a bone crushing hug.

He felt Daenerys beginning at the sound and volume of the king's voice. Robb was unsure how to best comfort her, he met Theon's eye over the top of Dany's head. Theon gave Robb his usual lazy grin and leaned down to Dany's ear and whispered something about dragons to her under his breathe. Robb felt Dany's shaking subside and felt a surge of gratitude for his foster brother. Theon had a better understanding of what Daenerys was going through than Robb did. After all, Balon Greyjoy had fought this king as well and Theon was as much of a ward as Daenerys. The knowledge had made the two close, something Robb was happy about as he felt Theon was as much a brother to him as Bran, Rickon, and Jon were.

"Your Grace," Eddard Stark said to the king, "Winterfell is yours."

The king and his family then began to walk down the row of Robb's family for the introductions. He greeted Robb's mother first and embraced her like a long lost sister. He then moved on to little Rickon who was holding his mother's hand to keep the unruly four year old under control. Then the King reached Robb.

"Well look at you!" King Robert boomed. "You've grown into a man! And a better looking one than your father! Har!"

"Your Grace," Robb said with a bow, "it is an honor to meet you at last. Allow me to present my betrothed Daenerys Targaryen and my foster brother Theon Greyjoy.

Daenerys curtseyed and Theon bowed instantly. The king lost the jovial expression in his eyes as he stared at the top of Daenerys's head, and yet he said nothing to her. Daenerys stayed in her curtsey, clearly terrified to meet the king's eyes. Robb was trying desperately to think of something to say to break the tension when the Queen said, "Robert, my love, you are holding the line up." The king quickly moved on to the other children, complimenting Sansa's beauty, telling Arya that she looked like her aunt did in her youth, and admiring Bran's muscles.

Robb bowed low over the Queen's proffered hand, grateful to the women, but the Queen also only had eyes for Daenerys it seemed. She did not seem angry, but rather thoughtful, although she said nothing to Dany and moved on. They were then introduced the crown prince, Joffrey Baratheon, who was tall for a thirteen year old and would have been handsome were it not for the expression of contempt on his face. They then met Joffrey's sibilings, Myrcella and Tommen, who seemed shy, though they seemed to be more polite than their brother.

After all the pleasantries were exchanged between the two families, King Robert asked to go to the crypts to pay his respects. His father had instantly called for a lantern and the two proceeded on despite the Queen's objects. The rest of the party was invited inside the castle to warm up by his mother and everyone began to move indoors.

Yet Robb did not feel Daenerys relax even minutely. He kept hold of her arm and escorted her indoors wondering if he should take her back to her rooms or to the godswoods so she could compose herself.

But before he could Theon, leaned over and remarked loudly, "See, that went well. Neither one of us was executed on sight. I would say this royal visit is going quite well."

Lady Catelyn turned and gave Theon an icy glare over her shoulder which Theon acknowledged with his usual sardonic smile. The Queen's other brother, Tyrion Lannister, called the Imp, however gave a loud guff of laughter at Theon's impudent remark. Daenerys seemed to come to at the sound of laughter. She looked up at Robb and gave him a small smile. He was quite suddenly struck at his luck to be marrying her. She undoubtedly the fairest girl in the seven kingdoms with her white blonde hair and deep purple eyes. But more importantly to Robb, she was brave enough to be able to meet the enemy of her family and still smile.

Feeling extremely proud of Dany, he escorted her over to where his mother was making polite conversation with Queen Cersei. He would help Daenerys get through this royal visit in anyway that he could. Though he had not yet wrapped his cloak around her shoulders, he would offer her comfort and protection all the same. They would get through these pleasantries now, then the welcoming feast tonight, and their marriage on the morrow. Then their real life together would begin in the North without any fear of kings and what they might do. All would be well for them, Robb would see to that. And he knew for a certainty that Daenerys would help him too.

A/N: Next chapter is the wedding so hopefully it'll be more exciting. It should be up tomorrow or Tuesday, I'm just polishing it right now.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Let me just start by saying I am overwhelmed by the support you guys have given me. This is my first fanfic and I was super nervous about posting. So thank you everyone! Also, I had some issues with the story and basically decided that I'm going to tell the story from the alternating prospective of Dany, Robb, and Catelyn with maybe some Theon later as the others won't have their stories as impacted by the plot change. I also don't want to retell everything that happens in the first book if nothing would have changed, and as such I skipped Catelyn's chapter where she finds Lysa's note but this chapter would take place chronologically the next morning. Also it all still belongs to GRRM.

Daenerys II

The morning of her wedding found Daenerys excited but weary. The welcoming feast the night before had gone on for several hours. There had been an abundance of food and drink, much loud music, and even more noisy guests many of whom gave many toasts. Daenerys would not have minded if she had not been seated at the high table along with the royal party and the Starks, it had felt like every eye in the Great Hall of Winterfell had been upon her. She had envied Jon Snow his place on the lower bench where she had seen him jesting with some of the lads and consuming much more alcohol than she or Robb had been given.

And Daenerys could have used more than the two cups of wine permitted to her last night. The high table had felt very tense to Dany. While Lady Catelyn had been thoughtful enough to seat Dany near Robb and Theon, and as far as acceptably possible from Robert Baratheon, there was still a distinct lack of calm around the high table. Lord Stark had seemed preoccupied and was barely civil to any of the Lannisters. The king and queen had apparently not resolved their quarrel about going to the crypts from earlier, or perhaps, Dany thought, they were a quarrelsome couple. It had fallen to Lady Catelyn to attempt to control the mood and it had not seemed a pleasant task. The only person at the high table who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself was Sansa who seemed to be openly besotted with the crown prince, much to her elder brother's disgust.

Nonetheless, the feast had ended, nothing terrible had happened, and now it was time to get dressed for her wedding. Lady Catelyn had come in with Sansa and Arya shortly after Daenerys had gotten out of her bath to help her get dressed. Sansa was practically dancing with excitement while Lady Catelyn had seemed nearly as tense as she had the night before, Dany supposed that the royal visit was even more stressful to Lady Catelyn than it was to her, not to mention the fact that her eldest son was to be wed very shortly. She still managed a warm smile for Dany though and took over for Rose to brush Dany's hair herself.

"Oh Daenerys," Sansa exclaimed, "you must be so excited. I cannot wait until my wedding day. And just think, so many important lords and ladies are attending, not to mention the king and queen. It's a perfect day."

Dany did not quite know how to respond to that. She was excited to be marrying Robb, but she was not happy that there were so many people present. She wished she could have married Robb with only the Starks and their household present. Or in a perfect world, that Dany could have married Robb with both of their families present and happy. But life was not a song, and Dany knew she would be happy in her husband no matter how tense this royal visit had been. Still Sansa was a very fanciful girl who tended to imagine life was just like a song or a story and Dany supposed that her wedding would seem like a story if one did not think about the complex history between her family and the king's family. She knew Sansa meant well though, so she merely smiled at the girl and attempted not to laugh at the face Arya was making behind her sister's back.

In what seemed like no time at all, Daenerys was dressed in her gown and ready to proceed down to the godswood. Her stomach was fluttering with anticipation and everything seemed almost too bright to be real. It felt like a dream. When she mentioned this to Lady Catelyn, she received her first real smile from her soon to be good mother of the morning when Lady Catelyn assured her that everything she was feeling was normal for a bride on her wedding day.

Theon was waiting for her at the entrance to the godswood dressed in black and gold, the colors of House Greyjoy, holding her maiden's cloak embroidered with the Targaryen symbol his arms. Lady Catelyn gave her one last squeeze and kiss on the cheek before departing with the girls to join the other guests inside. Theon looked down at her with his normal grin and assisted her into the black cloak that she would wear until Robb placed the Stark's direwolf around her shoulders.

"Is the blood of the dragon ready to become a wolf?" Theon asked.

"Yes," Dany said truthfully. "Winter is coming after all."

Theon laughed at that and took her arm and began to lead her down the path to the heart tree where she and Robb would say their vows.

The path to the heart tree had been lit with candles and on both sides guests stood. Dany and Theon passed the northerners and those who had come with the royal party alike. She found she could hardly focus on all the faces staring at her. Daenerys instead focused all her energy on making it to the heart tree and to Robb who stood underneath it dressed in grey wool trimmed in white with a direwolf on his doublet.

The heart tree had always fascinated Daenerys with its huge white trunk, and bright red leaves, and that primal carved face. That face had been carved by the children of the forest and had seen much and more of Winterfell's past. And now it would see Dany wed to Robb who was smiling at her and Theon's approach.

"Who comes?" Robb asked when they neared him.

Theon replied, "Daenerys of House Targaryen comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble, she comes to beg the blessing of the gods. Who claims her?"

"I do," Robb answered smiling widely. "Robb of House Stark, heir to Winterfell. I claim her. Who gives her?"

"Theon of House Greyjoy gives her," Theon looked down at Dany and smiled. "Lady Daenerys, will you take this man?"

Dany calmed her beating heart and replied, "I take this man."

Theon stepped back and Robb took her hands and kneeled with her before the heart tree. They both bowed their heads in silent prayer. Dany asked the old gods and the new to bless her marriage, to grant them peace and happiness in each other and in their lives and to watch over their families, including her brother in Essos. She met Robb's eyes and they both stood up smiling. Robb gently detached her bride cloak and replaced it with a heavy fur lined white cloak that had the direwolf of House Stark stitched in grey satin in its place.

With that Robb leaned over and kissed her gently but sweetly on the mouth and Dany felt all her fear leave her. She felt almost giddy as Robb lifted her into his arms and carried her past the guests towards the Great Hall to celebrate the wedding feast. As she looked up at Robb, Dany realized that she was no longer a Targaryen, she had left the godswood as Daenerys Stark.

A/N: Next chapter will be the wedding feast and the bedding. And it should be up shortly, as I split it from this chapter for length reasons.


	5. Chapter 5

Still belongs to GRRM.

Daenerys III

The noise in the Great Hall was even greater than it had been the previous night at the feast. There was as much food and drink as the night before and the musicians that had come to Winterfell in King Robert's train had to play loudly to be heard over the din.

Daenerys and Robb were once again seated at the high table though this time they had the place of honor in the center. She and Robb were sharing a chalice of wine. When all had been seated, Robb had raised the glass and had called for a toast in her name. Dany had been pleased to see that Robb looked as happy as she felt, but she had been surprised that the northern lords had toasted her with such enthusiasm. Dany had expected that many of them would not be pleased to see that their future liege lord was marrying the daughter of the old king whom they had all fought against in the rebellion. Still, it was all to the good, she would be the lady of Winterfell one day and did not bear any ill will to those who had followed Lord Stark into battle against her father.

There had been many more toasts to follow as the feast continued. The toasting got stranger as the amount of drinks that were consumed increased. Dany was not even sure what some of the northern lords had toasted as their words had become so slurred. There had also been some surprising announcements made. The king had announced the betrothal of his son Joffrey to Sansa during the feast, and judging by Robb's expression, he was surprised too, and not well pleased. Dany did not blame him, she too thought that Joffrey was quite unpleasant, but Sansa seemed to be beaming so Dany decided to be happy for Sansa and pray to the old gods and the new that Joffrey was truly more noble than he appeared. The king had also announced that Lord Stark had agreed to become the Hand of the King, and would be returning to King's Landing with the royal party along with Sansa, Arya, and Bran. Dany assumed this what had been bothering Lady Catelyn that morning, as she was undoubtedly sad to be separated from her husband and three of her children. Dany resolved to be as kind and helpful to her good mother as possible to help her with the separation.

As the musicians started playing "Two Hearts That Beat As One," Robb leaned over and asked her if she wished to lead the dancing. Her smile must have been answer enough because he led her to the dance floor. They were soon joined by many of the other guests on the floor. Dany had always enjoyed dancing and while she was not as skilled of a dancer as Sansa, she made sure that she smiled enough to make up for it. When the dance brought them together, Robb held her close and asked, "Are you happy, my lady?"

"I truly am, my lord husband," Dany said smiling at the notion that she was now married to Robb Stark. Judging by his smile at the word husband, it was a novel concept to him as well. She would have been happy to have stayed in his arms all night, but the dance spun them apart and paired her with Lord Stark's brother Benjen.

"I am pleased to see you look happy, Daenerys," he said. "Your uncle wished me to send his regrets for not being able to attend your wedding, he is simply too frail to travel. He wishes you every happiness and hopes you will write him soon."

Dany had enough time to thank Benjen for relaying the message before she changed partners again and was paired with Theon, then Lord Stark, and then little Bran, all of whom wished her well and smiled. Dany then suddenly found herself paired with Jaime Lannister.

"Congratulations, my lady," the Kingslayer said.

Dany could feel her heart rate increasing as she stared at one of the men from her childhood nightmares. He was looking at her expectantly, as though he were expecting her to say something or to react in some specific way. Dany could not think of a single thing to say. She realized he was not doing anything to harm her or deliberately frighten her, but she could still feel that her mouth was dry and her dancing was stiff. She took a breathe and called upon her courage. After all, she was Daenerys Stark now, she had nothing to fear from him. He was the outsider in Winterfell, not her. Suddenly she felt unafraid and she looked him directly in the eye and said, "Thank you, ser."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and gave her a grin before they changed partners once more and she was back in Robb's arms. Her new husband was looking down at her worriedly. "Are you alright, Dany?" he asked quietly. "Did the Kingslayer say anything to upset you?"

"I'm fine, Robb," she replied smiling. "Truly, he is nothing for me to fear."

Robb beamed down at her as the last strands of the song ended. They were preparing to walk back to the high table when she heard a shout of "Bed them!" ring out from somewhere in the Great Hall.

Dany could feel herself start to blush as the cry was picked up on and repeated happily by many of the guests. She looked up and noticed that Robb had turned rather red as well. Dany had known this ritual was inevitable but she was not looking forward to being stripped and carried into the bedchamber all the same. Still the cries for the bedding grew louder and soon Dany and Robb were separated as the women surrounded him and the men surrounded her. Even the typically solemn Lord Stark seemed to have a small grin on his face as he granted his approval for the bedding to begin. Dany called upon her courage as she heard the musicians beginning to play "The Queen Took Off Her Sandal, The King Took Off His Crown."

With that musical cue, the bawdy jokes began as the men began to carry her up the stairs. Dany was glad to note that the king appeared to have passed out at the high table and that the Kingslayer was not amongst the crowd surrounding her. A huge man called Greatjon Umber lifted her up and bellowed, "Why she's just a little scrap of a thing! Surely our young wolf will devour her!" The crowd roared its approval at his comment as Dany felt her shoes being peeled off of her feet.

"Careful Greatjon," Theon drawled from the back of the crowd, "you don't want the dragon to burn you." He winked at her as young Clay Cerwyn pulled assisted some of the other young northern lads to yank off her dress.

Dany felt as though her face must have been bright red as the jesting continued and as she proceeded to lose the rest of her clothing. Still, all the teasing was good natured and Lady Catelyn had prepared Dany for this event.

Then she heard an arrogant voice call out, "Let me see what the Mad King's daughter looks like. Move your prince commands it." She turned and saw Prince Joffrey eyeing her with a venomous expression. Her grabbed at her bare breast and Dany heard herself gasp in fear. The men around her began to mutter uneasily as Dany felt herself growing much more fearful. She moved to cover herself and took a step back.

Then suddenly Theon was there, lifting her up into his arms and carrying her the rest of the way into Robb's chambers. She had never been more grateful to her almost brother. He seemed more serious than Dany could remember seeing him before, but he managed to conjure up a smile when he placed her in front of a naked Robb.

Theon called out for them to have fun as he left the room and closed the door.

Dany looked at Robb and saw that he was staring at her, entranced. She felt the blush rising up once again in her cheeks and she felt her stomach flutter with nervous anticipation. He looked up and met her eyes. He looked to be as nervous as she felt.

"You are beautiful, Daenerys," Robb said rather formally as he walked towards her.

"Thank you, Robb," she said smiling.

"May I kiss you?" he asked as he leaned down towards her.

In response, she leaned up and touched his lips to hers. His arms wrapped around her waist and she locked her arms around his neck. Their kiss deepened as she felt Robb gently begin to tug her back towards the bed. As Robb laid her gently down on the bed, Dany looked up at him smiling. She was still nervous, true, but she felt safe with Robb. Safe and happy. She pushed all other thoughts away as she kissed him again and pulled him down towards her.

A/N: I'm ending the chapter there as any attempt I make at something sexy would likely be ridiculously embarrassing. I'll pick up with the next chapter probably on Thursday or Friday depending on how busy I am at work and how fast some of the revisions go. I honestly didn't mean to post the parts of the story this fast, but all the encouragement has really helped me to write faster. (It's actually rather addicting.) I hope everyone is still enjoying it and thank you so much for your reviews and follows and favorites! Please please keep it up! It keeps me motivated!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: GRRM still owns everything, I'm just chasing a plot bunny. I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be going out of town Saturday morning and will be out of town until Friday. So I really doubt that I will be updating this story while I'm on vacation. I've got the next few chapters written but I don't think I'll have a time to clean them up and get them up. Sorry! And thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and favorite and subscribe. And an especially big thanks to those who reviewed. Especially if you've reviewed more than once! Ya'll rock!

Catelyn II

Most of the men in Winterfell had left for a hunt at dawn. The king desired to hunt boar before they returned South the next day and there had been too many guests present for the wedding until today. Catelyn would have enjoyed spending more quality time with Ned before he went south to serve King Robert, especially since many of their guests had gone home and things had relaxed somewhat at Winterfell, but one did not disobey the king, not even over small things such as hunting. She hoped Ned would learn quickly that Robert was no longer just his oldest friend, but now his ruler as well.

So instead of spending time with Ned, Catelyn had spent the morning assisting with the packing. There was much to do with one husband and three children travelling on the morrow. And the girls had been very little help with their own packing. Arya was more interested in playing with Nymeria and Sansa had been too busy talking to Jeyne Poole about Prince Joffrey to assist Catelyn. She had wanted to spend time with Bran while packing but he had run off to say his goodbyes. Catelyn hoped that he was not climbing the walls, but he most likely was doing just that. She hoped that Ned would be able to keep him off the walls in King's Landing. Now that most of the packing was done, she was sitting down for tea to eat some lemon cakes her with daughters and good daughter. She was grateful for the quality time though she was not as pleased that they had brought their direwolves with them. Even Daenerys had brought Robb's wolf Grey Wind with her as Robb had not been permitted to take him on the hunt and had apparently wished him to guard Dany. Catelyn was torn between amusement and exasperation by her children's devotion to their new pets.

She was also pleased that Cersei Lannister had turned down the invitation for her and the Princess Myrcella to join them. She had only asked out of courtesy's sake as the note that Lysa had sent her was still much on her mind. It would be so hard to watch so much of her family ride south into danger at King's Landing while she was forced to stay in Winterfell, away from them and powerless to help. But Ned was right, Robb and Daenerys were far too young to run the castle on their own, she would need to be there to guide them. That did not make prospect of parting any less painful though.

Catelyn forced those unpleasant thoughts from her mind. She would enjoy this time with the girls as she did not know how long it would be before she would see them again. After all, Sansa was now promised to marry Prince Joffrey so she would most likely remain in King's Landing to be near him. She knew Sansa was inordinately pleased at the thought of being queen one day. To her young eyes, it was like something out of one of her songs. Catelyn herself had been thrilled at the match until she had received Lysa's note. She just hoped that Joffrey grew up to be less like his Lannister family. She knew Ned had grave worries about his suitability for Sansa and while she shared those concerns, the boy had been exceedingly courteous to her eldest daughter and Sansa was so besotted.

Regardless, Catelyn knew that Sansa would love King's Landing. She was growing into quite the beauty and she longed to go to court and to get away from the frozen north of Winterfell. Sansa dreamed of going to balls and seeing tourneys and doing all the things proper young ladies were meant to do. Catelyn understood Sansa's desire to go south well as she had once been young and unable to imagine living in the cold, barren north, though now it was her home.

Arya on the other hand needed to go to King's Landing to become more of a lady. In Winterfell she had most of their household charmed into letting her run wild. The girl seemed to be at least half wolf pup and while Catelyn loved Arya's spirit, she would one day need to be wed as well and she needed to become more of a lady before they could find a match for her. Perhaps she too would blossom in the south.

She just wished she could keep Bran here with her. He did not need to go to learn the refinement of the south, he would need to help Robb govern the north one day. Catelyn felt like she was being ripped in half to have so many of her children taken from her at once along with her husband.

At least her eldest son was settled and well married. Catelyn looked across the room to where Daenerys sat quietly in her own world. She and Robb had not been seen much of since their wedding and they had endured quite a lot of teasing from the various royal guests about it. Catelyn was happy that the two had been married during a time of peace where they could enjoy being newlyweds. It was a far cry from when she and Ned had been married during the war and kept separate during the fighting. She hoped the realm would stay peaceful as they grew together.

Catelyn realized that her thoughts were once again turning to Lysa's note and all its implications. She was turning too fearful. She had prayed to the gods to watch out for her children and husband as they journeyed south, that was all she could do. So she pushed those dark thoughts aside yet again and forced herself back to the present where Arya and Sansa were bickering about Arya's way of dressing. Catelyn realized how much she would miss hearing them squabble and tease each other, though she knew she needed to correct them.

"Girls, settle down. You cannot squabble like this at the capital," Catelyn said. "You both must be on your best behavior for Septa Mordane."

"Yes, mother," they said at the same time.

Catelyn very nearly laughed, she knew there was no hope of stopping their fights. They were too different, but she hoped that with time they would grow closer, as she and Lysa had once been close.

"Are you sad not to be coming to King's Landing with us Daenerys?" Sansa asked obviously hoping to turn the conversation around to the trip. "I would be devasted to be left up here in the North. There is so little to do up to here and ever so much to do in the capital. I cannot wait until we arrive."

Dany seemed to wake herself up from whatever sort of daydream she was having, most likely about Robb to answer Sansa's question. "No, Sansa, I am quite happy to remain in Winterfell. I am certain you shall have a wonderful time though."

Catelyn was impressed with Dany, she was so sweet to Sansa even so Sansa often lacked a certain amount of tact, and if Catelyn was being honest with herself, a certain amount of common sense.

"Stupid," Arya said, "Dany doesn't want to come to King's Landing. She and King Robert hate each other. And everyone knows that King Robert does not want a Targaryen to come to court. Haven't you ever listened to any of Maester Luwin's lessons?"

Arya was perhaps too smart, though she too could use a lesson in tact. Catelyn was about to correct them, even though Dany seemed more amused than bothered by the discussion, but she was interrupted by the howling of one of the direwolves.

"That's Bran's wolf," Arya said. Catelyn had been about to ask her how she could possibly know that but she realized that Sansa was nodding and the other wolves had jumped up and started howling too.

Catelyn felt a chill run down her spine, something was wrong. The girls looked frightened too. She stood up, uncertain of what to do with herself, but knowing that something was horribly wrong.

She was trying to formulate a prayer some sort of prayer to the Seven when Master Luwin ran in the room and told her that Bran had fallen.

A/N: I hope this wasn't too boring. We're getting very close to what I consider to be the more exciting part. I will post again as soon as I get the next chapter edited. Please read and review. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

I'm back from vacation, sorry for the delay. GRRM still owns everything, I'm just chasing a very persistent plot bunny that all stemmed from the comment that the Greatjon made at the end of the first book, "it was the dragons we married, and the dragons are all dead." This is my first fanfiction and so I don't know the proper etiquette for responding to reviews, but I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for reviewing/following/favoriting this story. And onwards! This chapter does contain dialogue directly from the book, but I love the relationship between Jon and Robb and I couldn't bear to leave it out.

Robb II

Winterfell's courtyard was a mass of confusion. There were wagons, horses, and a great many people all preparing for the departure to King's Landing. Robb stood at the center of it all, bellowing orders with the rest of the men. He was trying to be as useful as possible by taking on more responsibility since Bran had fallen as his mother had seemed to have given up. He knew Dany was also doing what she could to help as they would soon be the de facto lord and lady of Winterfell. He and Dany had both known the responsibility was coming since his father had told them he was going to King's Landing, but at first they had only been excited and treated it all as if it were a game. Then Bran had fallen and everything had changed. Now all the added responsibility was merely a heavy burden and they were making it though by relying on each other.

He remembered returning from the hunt the day that Bran had fallen and everything in his life had seemed to change. Robb had been eager to return to Winterfell and had received quite a bit of teasing from Theon about being chained to the bed since his wedding. He had laughed it off as Theon had been good natured about it, though Robb was a bit embarrassed as he knew there was a grain of truth to the jest. Robb had been pleasantly surprised to see Dany waiting for him in the courtyard with Grey Wind at her side when they returned. He had thought there had never been a more pleasant sight until he caught sight of the serious expression on her face, then he heard Bran's wolf howling in the distance and he hardly needed to hear her words of explanation to know that something was horribly wrong.

Presently, Robb saw his half brother Jon entering the courtyard, presumably from visiting Bran in the sickroom. Robb could not believe that Jon would soon be leaving Winterfell too. He did not remember a time in his life that did not include Jon and he could not imagine not seeing him everyday. He knew Dany felt the same way as all three of them were so close to the same age that they had grown up together. Now he and Dany were married and Jon was off to take the black and join Uncle Benjen at the Wall. Robb was frightened at how fast his life was changing.

"Uncle Benjen is looking for you," he said when Jon walked up, remembering that their uncle was currently seeking his brother. "He wanted to be gone an hour ago."

"I know," Jon said looking solemn. "Soon. Leaving is harder than I thought." Jon seemed to be trying to look at all of Winterfell as if for the last time.

Robb fought through the lump forming in his throat. "For me too," he said. He was losing one brother while the other fought for life in the castle. "Did you see him?" he asked, hoping that Jon had been permitted to at least say goodbye to Bran.

Jon merely nodded in response. Robb wondered if Bran was looking worse. "He's not going to die," Robb said trying to reassure Jon and himself. "I know it."

"You Starks are hard to kill," Jon agreed in response, but Robb could tell that there was something off to his voice. It was too flat and Robb had heard it like that countless times growing up.

"My mother..." he began trying to find the words to frame the question.

Jon shook his head and said, "She was very kind."

Robb was relieved. "Good," he said. He had always wanted his mother to be kinder to his brother. Maybe the fact that Jon was leaving her household had finally done it, or maybe it was Bran's fall that had warmed her to Jon. Either way, Robb was glad, Jon was part of his family for now and always, no matter where he went.

He smiled, "The next time I see you, you'll be all in black."

"It was always my color," Jon replied, finally smiling as well. "How long do you think it will be?"

That was a hard question to think about. "It had better be soon or Dany will have us marching to the Wall to see you," Robb answered truthfully. His wife had said as much to him last night. "You had best been sure to have said goodbye to her as well."

Jon nodded in response. Robb realized that this was goodbye for them. He pulled Jon into a hug. "Farewell, Snow."

He felt Jon hug him back just as fiercely. "And you, Stark. Take care of Dany and Bran."

"I will," Robb said as they broke apart. He felt slightly embarrassed as neither one of them showed much affection generally. To break the awkwardness he said, "Uncle Benjen said to send you to the stables if I saw you."

"I have one more farewell to make," Jon answered.

Robb imagined he was off to see Arya. The two of them had always been close. "Then I haven't seen you," he replied.

Robb turned back to the preparations as Jon walked off, unable to watch him go. He told himself that they would meet again soon. After all, they still saw Uncle Benjen and the Wall itself was not too far to visit. His father had often stressed about the importance of the Starks supporting the Night's Watch. Perhaps he and Dany could go visit the Wall once things returned to normal at Winterfell. He knew Dany would want to see her Uncle Aemon and they could visit Jon as well. Robb was just thinking how much Dany would like that idea when Grey Wind's ears perked up. He looked to his left and saw his wife descending into the courtyard.

Robb felt his face break into the goofy grin that he always seemed to form on his face at the sight Dany nowadays. He would have been embarrassed by it but she seemed to suffer from the same problem.

"How are the preparations for the departure going?" she asked when she reached his side.

Robb could not help pulling her close to him and wrapping an arm around her. "It's madness as you can see. It will be a miracle if everything is ready when they depart for King's Landing. Have you been in Bran's room?"

"Not just now," she said. "I've been helping Sansa finish her packing and keeping an eye on Rickon. Old Nan just took him for his nap. Did I see Jon leaving the courtyard?"

"Yes, he's saying his goodbyes, Uncle Benjen is ready to leave," Robb replied. "Did he say his farewells to you?"

"He did," she said smiling sadly. "He told me to keep you in line now that he won't be around to help. I can't believe he's leaving. I sent a letter for my Uncle with Benjen asking that he look out for Jon when he arrives at the Wall. I wish there was more I could do."

Robb understood what she meant completely. He knew there was honor in serving in the Night's Watch, after all Uncle Benjen was hardly the first Stark to take the black, but still, they were all so young and Jon would have to serve for life.

Still he knew that Dany would not want to hear that now, he wished to comfort her, not sadden her, so instead he said, "Aye, me too. But he's chosen his path and the most we can do for him now is to support him."

"When did you get to be so wise Robb?" Dany asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Robb tried to laugh but the weight everything they were facing suddenly felt so heavy. He looked down at Dany and tried desperately to think of something to say to keep the mood light. She had been so brave and helpful during all of this, the last thing she needed was his worries on top of her own.

Dany, however, seemed to read his thoughts when she looked up into his eyes. She leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek and said, "You are doing well, my love. We will make it through this together. Trust me."

Robb took strength from her words. She was right, they would be fine and so would Jon. His path was hard but so was the path he and Dany had been walking since Bran's fall. But they had all been raised with the Stark words, Winter is Coming, so they were all ready. With that in mind, he took Dany by the hand and together they joined the frenzied packing in the courtyard.

Robb took charge once again, this time with more confidence. He drew his strength from Dany's words and he realized that things would be right again, they would handle this together.

All the same, he kept hold of her hand.

A/N: I should update again by Wednesday. Now that I'm home from vacation I'm going to try and set up a regular schedule for updates. I just haven't decided what it is yet. Anyway, please read and review and thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: GRRM still owns everything, I own nothing. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, but I'm not completely happy with it. But I hope everyone reading enjoys it. There's a longer author's note at the end of the chapter.

Daenerys IV

The chest had arrived the day after the royal party had departed south. No one in Winterfell could tell her how it had arrived, she had simply found it sitting in her and Robb's bedchamber addressed to her as Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. It carried a label on it declaring that it was a wedding gift from a Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos. The label only wished her well in her marriage and hoped that she would treasure the enclosed present for their beauty as the eons had turned them to stone. Inside the chest were three beautiful dragon's eggs, one deep green with bronze flecks, another pale cream swirled with gold, and the last as black as midnight swirled with scarlet ripples. Dany had never seen anything so magnificent.

However, nestled amongst the eggs was a letter from her brother Viserys that disturbed Daenerys greatly.

The letter started out well enough by congratulating her on her marriage to the future Lord of Winterfell and telling her that he was well in Pentos with Illyrio, but it quickly went downhill from there. Her brother shortly began to write about all the wrongs done to House Targaryen and how the Iron Throne was his by rights. He said he forgave Lord Eddard Stark for his part in House Targaryen's downfall because of his gentle treatment of Daenerys and his rage over the deaths of Elia and her children and that for this Viserys would allow Lord Stark to take the black when he reclaimed the throne as opposed to the deaths he would dole out to the Baratheons and the Lannisters. The dragon does not forget he said. (This reminded her of Theon always telling her that she was the blood of the dragon, except Viserys seemed to almost think he actually was a dragon.) Viserys rambled in that vein for a while as he spoke of his plans to reclaim the throne, his throne he called it, his by rights and taken by treachery. He wrote that he hoped to have her husband's support when he landed and that perhaps she could speak to Theon Greyjoy about his family's support as Illyrio had told him that he and Dany were close. He laid out no concrete plans for his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms, he merely reiterated about how the throne of Westeros was his by the right of him being the last living male Targaryen and that he knew many of the great houses would rise against the Usurper and that Illyrio had assured him that the smallfolk prayed for the return of the dragon.

Dany did not know what disturbed her the most, that he would write such treasons to her, that her only living brother seemed to be as mad as she had been told their father had been, or that he and this Illyrio knew so much about her even though they were across the Narrow Sea in Essos. Also that they had someone able to deliver this chest into Winterfell in secret exactly when the King left.

Underlying all her worry and fright, Dany felt a great sadness. She had often wondered about her brother in exile. When she had felt lonely as a child, she would imagine what her life would have been like with him if Ser Willem Darry had spirited her across the Narrow Sea as had intended. But in her imagination, her brother had been kind and patient and funny, a combination of Theon and Jon Snow. She had never pictured him as a madman. She said a quick prayer of thanks to the Seven that she had not been raised by him, or even worse, forced to marry him in the Targaryen custom of keeping the bloodlines pure.

She had run to Robb as soon as she recovered her wits. He too had been shocked and alarmed by the chest and the accompanying letter. They had gone to Lady Catelyn for advice, hoping to find the Lady of Winterfell they knew so well as opposed to the shell of the woman she had become since Bran's fall. When they had told her of a secret delivery, she had seemed herself for the briefest of moments, but only for that moment. After ascertaining that it was only for Daenerys from her brother and a Magister of Pentos, Lady Catelyn had returned her attentions to Bran and had offered no help.

"We'll go to Maester Luwin I suppose," Robb said with a sigh after they left Bran's room. "I thought she would at least be able to help us with something that was this important. I wonder why she would think someone would send her something?"

"I don't know," Dany replied, feeling more tense by the second. She did not want to go to Maester Luwin, she wanted to write her Uncle Aemon at the Wall as she felt he would understand this madness, but she was terrified to entrust all of this to a letter. So instead she followed Robb to Maester Luwin's quarters.

The maester had not known what to make of the letter or of the surprising wedding gift. All he could say was that dragon's eggs were exceedingly rare and near priceless. He had no real suggestions for what to do about Visery's treasonous letter but instead mused aloud about writing to Lord Stark for his advice and to inform him of these events.

"He's with the king though," Robb said immediately. "Will he be able to keep this from him? He will undoubtedly get angry, I don't want him to bring his wrath down on Dany. You know how he feels about the Targaryens."

"King Robert could find out on his own," Maester Luwin countered. "Clearly there are spies within Winterfell for this to be brought here in secret and for Viserys to have so much knowledge of Daenerys."

Dany could see that Robb did not like that, but she had already come to that conclusion. It was an unsettling thought. She had always heard that Varys had spies everywhere, yet somehow she had believed that Winterfell, since it was so far from all the intrigue of King's Landing, was safe.

"Write to Lord Stark," Dany said suddenly deciding. "It is better if King Robert hears it from us. Maybe he'll even see it as a sign of loyalty." She did not truly believe that but there were no other options at this point and she did not want the King to believe that she was plotting against him with her brother.

They left Maester Luwin to his letter writing and returned to their duties, but Dany could not keep her mind off of the dragon's eggs. She returned as soon as she was able to her room to examine the eggs at greater length. She was holding the black egg in her lap when Theon entered the room.

"Robb's just told me the news," he said as he walked towards her. "Direwolves and dragon's eggs. Perhaps someone will send me a kraken next."

Dany was about to scold him for making a jest at a time like this but then she realized that he was not smiling for once. He looked as serious as she had ever seen him. "Would you like to read the letter?" she asked instead, handing the incriminating paper to him upon his nod.

As he read the letter, an unfamiliar frown graced Theon's face. Dany stared hard at him, remembering mistaking him for her brother as a child when they were the two wards of Lord Eddard Stark. He was her brother, and Robb's, in the ways that mattered even if they were not tied by blood, she realized that now. When he looked up at her from reading, she took his hand and squeezed it.

He squeezed her hand back and said, "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not," she said smiling. Dany realized that she truly meant it, it was surprisingly easy to be brave. Maybe it was the fact that she felt safe in Winterfell or maybe it was the fact that she had a family with her here.

Or maybe, she thought as the week continued, she drew some strength from the dragon's eggs. After all, Theon had always teased her about being the blood of the dragon, and Uncle Aemon had told her that the dragons were the grief and glory of their House. With the eggs around her, she could see the fascination that the dragons must have held for her ancestors. Though she was not like Viserys, and did not believe she was actually a dragon, she loved the beautiful stone eggs, they felt like they were meant for her. She kept them in their bedchamber and she often found herself running her hand over them anytime she was close to them. She knew it was odd, but somehow it helped her as she took over many of Lady Catelyn's duties as the Lady of Winterfell, something she had not expected to have to do for a great many years. The largest of which was watching after little Rickon who was distraught and clinging to her and Robb after all the changes that had occurred within his family.

She had been telling him a story about Aegon the Conqueror's dragons a week after she had received the eggs when she heard the direwolves begin to howl. Remembering how they had howled when Bran had fallen, Dany was instantly alarmed. She walked with Rickon over to the window to see if she could discover what the cause of their distress, but before she got there she heard shouts of "FIRE!" from the yard followed by the frantic sounds of men running about.

Dany grabbed Rickon by the hand and took him outside with her to see if she could be of use and to make sure of their safety. The fire was in the library and Robb had quickly taken charge of the situation. She and Rickon stayed outside but out of the way while the men attempted to stop the fire. In all the ensuing commotion, Dany almost failed to notice that the wolves had gone silent, and she completely failed to notice that Lady Catelyn was not outside with them.

After the fire had been mostly handled, she turned to Robb and asked where her good Mother was. Robb sighed and said, "She's still with Bran. I was with her when the fire broke out and she was just happy that he was safe from the fire, it did not even seem to bother her that the library was ablaze."

"I suppose we should go check on her," Dany said worrying about Lady Catelyn's mental state. "We should at least let her know that the fire has been put out."

Robb nodded and called a serving girl over to take Rickon to his room, the boy had been through too much excitement in one night for a child so young. They then began to walk back to the castle to go to Bran's sickroom with Grey Wind trailing after them.

"I'm worried about her," Robb murmured to Dany. "Nothing I say seems to bring her back around."

Dany could only nod as she felt helpless as he did. She did not know what would aid Lady Catelyn except for Bran waking up. As they mounted the stairs towards Bran's sickroom, the shackles on Grey Wind's back began to raise, and a low growl emanated from his throat.

"I smell blood," Robb announced suddenly. "Guards! With me! Dany, go to our room, I will be there soon."

Dany felt her heart pounding as she walked away from Robb towards their room. The guards and Ser Rodrik joined Robb to run up the stairs with their hands on their swords. She went quickly to their room and sat down in front of the dragon's eggs once again. She cradled the cream one to her chest for comfort.

She was still holding the egg when Robb returned to her soon thereafter looking panicked with a tale on his lips of a dead man, a knife, his mother's injured hands, and Bran's direwolf.

A/N: I figure Illyrio and Varys would still be hatching their schemes about the Targaryens even if Daenerys was not in Pentos and I wanted to Dany to have the dragon's eggs as I think they're important to her character development. And I assumed Viserys would still be mad as a hatter. I think one of the biggest consequences of this AU scenario is that Dany would start out as a much stronger character than she did in A Game of Thrones because she would have a much better upbringing. I love Dany's warrior side and am still working towards that side of her showing up as things get worse for the Starks. Anyway, like I said at the beginning, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I just had some problems with the flow. I hope everyone enjoyed it anyway though. I'll update again on Sunday as I'm going to try to update on Wednesdays and Sundays. Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/subscribed/put this as a favorite story. You guys rock!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: It still belongs to GRRM. I suppose I misspoke in the last chapter in my author's notes when I said that I love the warrior side of Dany, I suppose what I meant was more of her leader side, like she shows in A Storm of Swords especially. Anyway, I know I said I would try to post on Wednesdays and Sundays but I just found out I'm having knee surgery on this Thursday (4/4/13). So while I will definitely post again post-surgery and hopefully once more beforehand, I'm going to have to see how loopy I am after surgery. I'll do my best but I definitely do not have a high tolerance for pain pills. And onward with Robb. A lot of the dialogue is straight from the book but I couldn't see a way around that.

Robb III

His mother slept immediately after the attack aided by the milk of the poppy that Maester Luwin had given her. Robb wished he could sleep as easily. He'd never in his life realized how stressful being in charge could be. He had mistakenly thought that life in Winterfell would calm down after the wedding and King Robert's departure, but then Bran had fallen and his mother had collapsed, Dany had received her dragon's eggs and the letter from her brother, and now the fire in the library and the dead man in Bran's room. Robb had never imagined he and Dany would have to handle so many strange things in such a short period of time. In fact, he had pictured the weeks after their wedding going much differently.

The first thing that he had to do once his mother had been seen to was to handle the investigation into the identity of the dead man. However, no one knew who the man was or even where he came from. Some people had mentioned seeing him around the castle but everyone who saw him had assumed he came with someone's party for the wedding or had been attached to the King's retinue. It transpired that after the castle cleared out, he had been hiding out and sleeping in the stables. Theon said that was easy enough to determine based on his smell, but they had also found the stall he had been sleeping in and in it there was a bag of ninety silver stags.

"I suppose it was easy to hide in the stables with all the chaos," Robb said to Dany one evening after the attack while they were dining in private. "We have been short on stable hands since my father rode south with so many men. They say Hodor has been acting strangely, he might have noticed him hiding though there's no way to know for sure with Hodor. I wonder who would have paid him to burn the library down."

"You cannot honestly believe that is what the man was after, Robb," Dany replied incredulously. "After he set the fire, he went straight to Bran's room armed with that dagger. The fire was a distraction, nothing more."

Robb turned over what his wife said in his mind. All of what she said seemed true enough, after all the man had been armed with Valyrian steel according to Ser Rodrick, a blade far too fine for one of the dead man's ilk.

"If that is true," Robb said slowly, "and I think that it is, then who was the target, Bran or my mother? And why?"

"Those are the real questions," Dany replied. "Perhaps Lady Catelyn can tell us more when she recovers, the man might have spoken to her. Though perhaps you should place additional guards on her and Bran until you know more."

"You are right," Robb said, thoroughly impressed with Dany. "Though I think that Bran's wolf will do more than twenty guards."

Dany smiled, agreed with him, and changed the subject to some of the household positions that still needed to be filled. Robb was not sure if he could have managed running things without Dany. Maester Luwin was helpful, but he still deferred to Robb in all things. Dany on the other hand offered suggestions and corrected him when she thought he was in the wrong. Some men might not have enjoyed that, but Robb knew that there was no one else he would rather have input from, and she frequently knew better than he did as she had just shown. He was glad to see that she had moved on from the stress of her brother's letter. They still had not heard back from the father or the King on the subject, but perhaps the messenger Maester Luwin had sent with the letter had not yet caught up with the King's party. He thought that Dany was helped by her dragon's eggs. It might have seemed to odd to another person, but Robb understood, it was the same for him with Grey Wind. Maybe there was something to their house sigils after all.

Four days after the fire, one of the servants brought word that his mother was now awake and had requested food and Maester Luwin to change her bandages. Robb arrived before his mother's food and with him he brought Dany, Theon, Ser Rodrick, and their new captain of the guard, Hallis Mollen. Robb was pleased to note that his mother seemed back to her old self as she immediately asked after the man who attacked her. He told her what they knew and then asked if the man had been after her or Bran.

His mother looked impressed with him as she answered, "He was after Bran. He kept muttering that I wasn't supposed to be there. I imagine he thought I would rush out with any guards to put out the fire, and I would have if I had not been half mad with grief. I am glad you realized he was an assassin."

"It was not me, Mother," Robb said sheepishly. "Dany thought of it, and she suggested adding a guards for you and Bran. But why would someone want to kill Bran? He's only a helpless boy..."

His mother gave Dany an appraising look and asked, "Do you have any answers, Daenerys? If you were sharp enough to realize the fire was a ruse, have you thought the question through to its conclusion?"

Robb felt chagrined that he had not given the subject much thought. He'd been too concerned with the other matters going on at Winterfell to think much on it besides to post the guards, which had been Dany's idea as well. Before he could hear what she had to say on the subject, his mother's food arrived along with Maester Luwin and his supplies.

His mother instantly asked the maester about Bran's condition and though she looked saddened when he told her there was no change, she did not sink into despair as she had done before the attack. When all the servants left the room, his mother turned back to Dany and nodded at her to continue with answer.

"If someone was trying to kill Bran," she said almost tentatively, as if she were afraid of her answer, "then someone must want to make sure he never wakes up. Bran must know something that whoever hired the killer is afraid he might say when he awakes."

"Very good," his mother replied proudly. "We must keep Bran safe, there could be other killers sent when it is discovered this one failed. How many guards do you have watching him Robb?"

"Just one on the door right now and his wolf inside. I'll add one inside the sickroom and two on the stairs since we now know that Bran was the target," he directed to Hallis. "And make sure that no one sees Bran without the express permission of either me or my mother."

"Very good," his mother said, and Robb felt himself stand a little taller. "See to it now if you will Hallis."

After the captain of the guard left the room, Ser Rodrik brought up the fine make of the knife to Lady Catelyn and their thoughts that it was too fine a blade for the man to have himself.

His mother looked thoughtful and instructed Robb to close the door. After he had done so, she said, "What I am about to tell you must not leave this room. I want your oaths on that. If even part of what I suspect is true, Ned and my girls have ridden into deadly danger, and a word in the wrong ears could mean their lives. I already suspect that there are spies inside Winterfell from what I remember about Robb and Daenerys telling me of her wedding present arriving in secret. I am sure with all of this going on, you all understand why I would want your oaths."

"Lord Eddard is a second father to me," Theon said. "I do so swear my oath."

"You have my oath," Maester Luwin said.

"And mine, my lady," Ser Rodrik echoed.

"I am now a Stark by marriage, this is my family," Dany said. "I swear my oath as well."

"And I swear mine," Robb said.

His mother then proceeded to tell them of a letter that his aunt Lysa had sent in secret that said Jon Arryn had been murdered by the Lannisters. His mother then went on to remind them that neither Queen Cersei nor Jaime Lannister had gone on the hunt the day that Bran fell, they instead had stayed in the castle, though she could not say where in Winterfell they were during the day. His mother then softly said, "I do not think Bran fell from the tower that day, I believe he was thrown."

Robb could almost feel the shock in the room at his mother's words. He heard Dany gasp next to him while Ser Rodrik argued against it and Theon argued for it. Maester Luwin reminded them of how sure footed Bran was and that he had never fallen before. All Robb could do was mutter a curse. He could not quite wrap his mind around it, all he could think, absurdly enough, was that his aunt Lysa's letter explained why his mother had thought something had arrived for her when he and Dany had gone to tell her about the dragon's eggs. As soon as clear thoughts could return to him, Robb felt himself grow angrier and angrier, he wanted to punch someone and had to fight the urge to draw his sword, but he reminded himself that he was the Stark in Winterfell and that the Lannisters, damn them all, were hundreds of leagues away. Instead, he asked the room at large what the next step should be.

Maester Luwin pulled at his chains nervously and pointed out that they had no evidence and they were accusing the queen and her brother of a most grievous crime.

"How can we prove this before Bran wakes up?" Dany asked.

"Your proof is in the dagger," Ser Rodrik answered. "A fine blade like that would not have gone unnoticed. Surely someone can help us to discover its origins."

"Someone must go to King's Landing," his mother said just as Robb was coming to the same conclusion.

"I'll go," Robb said instantly. It was only right that he be the one to go into danger.

His mother and his wife said no at the same time. Dany looked alarmed at the thought of him going south while his mother looked oddly resolved.

"You must be the Stark in Winterfell while your father is away," she said gently while she rose from her bed. "And Daenerys will stay here with you and take my place as she already has done. I am the only one who can do this thing."

Robb felt utterly lost. "What about Bran? You can't mean to leave him," he said in shock.

"I have done everything I can for Bran," she said as she stood and placed one hand on his arm and her other on Dany's arm. "His life is in the hands of the gods and Maester Luwin. You and Daenerys can handle things here as you have both proven while I was lost in my despair."

"Will you want an escort, my lady?" Theon asked eagerly. Robb imagined that he wanted to accompany his mother on this trip. Theon had always loved any sort of danger and excitement. However, Robb did not want him to go and judging from the glare Dany was giving Theon, neither did she.

"I can send Hal and squad of guardsmen with you," Robb offered before Theon could ask to go.

"No," his mother said. "That would attract unwanted attention. I cannot afford the Lannisters to know that I am coming."

Dany nodded in agreement but Ser Rodrik protested, "My lady, let me go with you at the very least. The kingsroad can be dangerous, especially for a woman travelling alone."

"I am not taking the kingroad," his mother said looking lost in thought. At last she nodded and said, "Very well. Two riders can move as fast as one and much faster than the royal party will be able to move with all their supplies and people. I intend to take a ship from White Harbor to King's Landing. If we leave on the morrow, we should beat Ned and the Lannister there as long as the wind is with us."

And then, Robb thought, Dany and I shall really be alone. He hoped they were ready but with so much already happening, the treachery of the Lannisters and the strange tidings from across the Narrow Sea, Robb could only imagine that the trouble for the Starks was only just beginning.

A/N: I'll try to update again on Wednesday but this has been a very rough week. I'm not getting a lot of sleep with the knee pain and I'm working an insane amount since I'm about to be off for two weeks which is not helping with the knee pain. But I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and thank you to everyone who read and especially to everyone who reviews and a huge thanks to everyone who already reviewed/follows/has this story as a favorite, I wouldn't have managed to update at all right now if it wasn't for all the support.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: GRRM still owns everything. I hadn't really decided whether or not I was going to do a Theon chapter, then I realized that Catelyn had just run off to go to King's Landing and wouldn't be seen in my story until she met back up with Robb and Daenerys, so this is my first attempt at doing a Theon POV. I hope it's not too awful, it was really hard to get his voice as he's so irreverent and I am attempting to shift his story arc as well. Also I was having trouble with a timeline for major events but luckily I found one online that I'll be using. I'm still scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning so I don't know when the next update will be but I'll try to do it as soon as I'm able.

Theon I

Life in the castle had calmed down for the most part once Lady Catelyn departed with Ser Rodrik nearly two moons ago. Though after all the excitement of late, it was a relief and Theon wondered whether or not they could handle any more surprises. Every time he thought things could not get stranger, some new crisis seemed to happen. So he was glad that some sense of normalcy had returned to his life. However, Theon found himself surprisingly being asked to handle more responsibilities in the running of Winterfell once Lady Stark departed south, a task he had not expected considering that he was a Greyjoy of Pyke rather than a Stark of Winterfell.

Truth be told, he had always wanted to be a Stark. He had left Pyke as a hostage for his father's good behavior when he was ten and although he felt disloyal for thinking it, he realized that he had enjoyed life much more at Winterfell. The castle was nicer, the Northerns were more pleasant than the Ironborn, and the family dynamic was a vast improvement compared to how he had been raised. That did not mean he had not always been an outsider in Winterfell though. As kind as everyone had been, there was no getting over the fact that he was there to ensure his father did not rebel again, and if Balon Greyjoy tried, Theon's life would have been forfeit. It strained relationships a bit. The fact that he was the second ward that Lord Eddard had to take at King Robert's behest did not help matters either, particularly where Lady Catelyn was concerned. Oh, true, she had been more polite to him than she had ever been to Jon Snow, but still he was no blood kin to anyone there, nor was he promised in marriage to anyone so he was not guaranteed ever having any family connection with anyone there. He had in truth always envied Jon Snow for having a father like Eddard Stark, even if he was a bastard and a bit of an outsider too, he was still part of the Stark family. And while Robb was more of a brother to him than his true brothers had been, he could always hear his father's voice in his mind saying the words he had spoken the day he had departed Pyke, that he was a Greyjoy not a Stark. Theon knew deep down that as much as he loved Robb, he would have never felt obligated to help with the running of Winterfell if it had not been for Daenerys.

It had been Dany that Theon could relate to growing up in Winterfell. They were both outsiders as the wards of Eddard Stark. They had both also had taints on their heritage as she was the mad king's daughter and he was the son of a failed rebel lord. Somehow it had never felt disloyal for Theon to think of Dany as his little sister, the way it felt disloyal to think of Robb as his brother, maybe because his brother had died during the rebellion that the Starks had fought in while Asha was still alive, or possibly because Dany had never given him any choice in the matter. From his arrival in the north, she had followed him around, and in his loneliness, he had not discouraged her. He thought that once she learned that a ward was not a blood brother she would stop clinging to him, but she never had, and when Dany had asked Theon to give her away at her wedding, he had never felt more like he belonged in Winterfell.

The feeling had only increased since the arrival of that mad letter from Viserys Targaryen. After the shock of the whole thing wore off, he had mused aloud to Dany and Robb whether the Greyjoys were as mad as the Targaryens. Some of the sentiments in the letter had been remarkably similar to some of what Theon could remember his father saying before and during his rebellion. The remark had not gone over well with Robb who seemed worried about how Dany would feel about her family being called mad, but Dany had just laughed as Theon had hoped she would and said she doubted that even Balon Greyjoy at his worse would send a letter to the ancestral home of the Starks talking about his so called gracious plans to let the Lord of Winterfell take the black.

Theon thought that Dany was taking everything well in stride, but she had on occasion begun to remind him of the four year old girl he'd first met who called him brother and shadowed him everywhere. He supposed it was natural, she had just found out that her long lost brother was as mad as she always feared her family was and so she was clinging to the family she had made for herself. He was grateful for the most part as it made him feel like he still had a little sister, something that he had worried would change once Dany was truly a Stark by marriage, but with Lady Catelyn gone, the young couple was in charge and Dany had decided that Theon could help out and for that he was none too happy.

He had planned to enjoy life in Winterfell without any adult Starks by spending time going into town and paying calls on Kyra or else out hunting or long nights drinking. Instead he had been assigned various duties, from watching Rickon while Dany and Robb were occupied, to helping the men remaining in the castle practice their skill at arms, to riding with Robb to visit various holdfasts nearby. It was a bit exhausting and he was starting to regret his desire to be one of the family. It reminded him a bit of one of Old Nan's mad stories she'd nattered at him about people regretting getting exactly what they wished for.

But he put up with it and not just for Dany's sake. He imagined that life with the Starks was about to get more exciting now that he knew that Lady Lysa Arryn had told her sister of a conspiracy behind her husband's death. Theon longed for a good fight and while he would have been grateful to fight anyone really, it was the Lannisters that he most longed to quarrel with. After their awful visit to Winterfell, Theon was itching to knock some of the smug looks off their faces, particularly that brat prince. And he longed to test his skill at arms against the fabled swordsman Jaime Lannister. He imagined that he would soon get a chance with Lady Catelyn rushing off the King's Landing to try to find proof that the Queen and her brother had tried to kill Bran.

It was a reckless move on her part, Theon thought. Not that he didn't agree with her that the Lannisters were likely behind Bran's fall and his subsequent attack, but they had nothing in the way of evidence at present except for their own prejudices and the ravings of a grief ridden widow in a letter that Lady Stark had apparently already burned. The dagger might offer more concrete proof, but as Dany's dragon's eggs had taught them, there was clearly no guarantee that they were not all being watched in Winterfell. That was doubtless even more true in King's Landing where Lady Catelyn should be by now. He wondered how she would investigate the dagger's origins and he amused himself by briefly picturing her arriving in King's Landing and waving the weapon in the Queen's face while demanding answers. Theon thought that was unlikely though neither Lord not Lady Stark showed much political savvy. He doubted any of this would remain a secret and it would likely come down to a fight between House Lannister and House Stark and Theon would be ready.

He was currently trying to practice his archery skills while watching Rickon. The boy was more interested in running around the castle with the direwolves like a mad thing than he was at watching Theon practicing his skill at arms, but he had been forced to perform this duty today when Old Nan had been unable to find Dany to watch him. Theon thought he'd try to interest the boy with a demonstration. He'd been shooting with his usual accuracy and thought maybe Rickon would like to learn some tips. The boy was a Stark after all and the Starks were nothing if not serious, even at a young age.

"You want to keep your grip on the bow handle relaxed and comfortable, don't grip it too tightly or the arrows won't hit your target dead on. You need to relax and focus on your target, it might look like I'm aiming at a straw man, Rickon, but I'm imagining I'm aiming at Joffrey Baratheon's foul little head…"

"Theon! What are you teaching him?" Dany asked indigently as she walked into the practice yard.

"I was about to teach him about good follow through," he replied with a grin. "You don't want to lower your bow too soon or it will change the path of the arrow downward. Wouldn't want me to miss my target would we?"

"You can't say things like that to a four year old. Joffrey Baratheon is the crown prince, it's treason to talk about shooting an arrow at him," she said sternly. "You never know when Rickon will repeat your words." She smiled kindly down at Rickon and said, "The cooks made you a special treat, would you like to run go get it?" The boy nodded and ran off with Shaggydog on his heels.

"You've been married for a little over two moons and you've already become a stern lady of the North," Theon teased. "Where have you been anyway? He was asking for you. Anytime he loses sight of you and Robb for too long he panics that you've left and gone south too."

"It's too be expected I assume," she answered glancing around the yard. "I was with Maester Luwin. Do you know where Robb is?"

"He's off with Hallis being a good Lord of Winterfell," he told her, hoping that there was not another secret delivery that she needed to tell Robb about. Theon didn't know if he could handle anymore secret deliveries. "Why were you with Luwin instead of tending to Rickon? Has something else happened?"

Dany flushed and said, "No, it's nothing. I just need to speak to Robb. I have some… I just need to speak with Robb is all. Nothing is wrong."

Theon scrutinized the girl's flushed face trying to figure out what she was hiding. He knew her well enough to know that she was behaving oddly. She seemed nervous and excited, her purple eyes were practically sparkling and she kept avoiding eye contact with Theon, like she was embarassed. He began to have a suspicion of what she needed to tell Robb and it was not that surprising the way those two had been carrying on since the wedding. He was about to open his mouth to make a jest to put her more at ease when he heard a loud commotion from inside the castle.

Remembering all that had happened recently, Theon instinctively reached for his sword and moved in front of Dany assuming something else had gone horribly wrong. For all he knew someone had actually sent him a kraken and at this point he would not have been that surprised. He was about to draw his sword out of his sheath when one of the serving girls burst out into the yard yelling, "He's awake! He's awake! Master Bran is awake!"

A/N: Okay, like I said, I'll try to update as soon as possible after my surgery but I'll have to see how all that goes. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and as always thanks to everyone for taking the time to read/favorite/alert this story. And especially thank you to those who reviewed! You guys are amazing and you keep me motivated!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: GRRM still owns it all, I'm just writing for fun. I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews last chapter, I was pretty nervous about writing Theon so I'm glad that everyone seemed to enjoy it. As for this chapter, I had surgery on Thursday and so I'm still on pain medicine so if there are more mistakes than usual, I apologize and I'll try to correct any that are spotted. I had a lot of trouble writing this one, probably because I still feel like I just had surgery. Hopefully the writing will get easier the more I recover and thank goodness for spellcheck. This chapter again has a lot of dialogue directly from the book, but hopefully it will still be enjoyable reading.

Daenerys V

They had been going over the books with Maester Luwin when Theon rushed into the room to tell Robb that Tyrion Lannister and a party of men from the Night Watch were approaching Winterfell. Dany could feel the tension elevate in the room as she struggled to articulate something to say but found herself too surprised to do much more than stare at Theon.

Robb, however, had handled the news rather well and said that they would receive them in the Great Hall, then he had turned to Dany and asked if she was feeling well enough to be present. Dany had tried not to roll her eyes at the way Robb had begun this habit of treating as something very breakable since she had told him she was with child. She blamed Maester Luwin at least in part for telling him that the first few months of a woman's pregnancy were the hardest and that Dany would be very tired. She imagined Robb would have served her all her meals in bed if she would have shown the slightest indication that it would help her. As it was, he was always attempting to make sure she was comfortable, bringing her extra pillows or getting the cooks to prepare some special dish for her. She knew it was sweet of him, but she did not feel delicate at all. Aside from some sickness in the mornings and a tenderness in her breasts, she felt much the same.

In fact, for the most part, she was extremely happy. She was a bit frightened of the prospect of having a child, and she knew Robb was too, but they were both well pleased. Robb had kissed her and spun her around when she told him the news, as that was before Luwin had made her sound delicate. It had been a happy day in Winterfell with Bran waking up as well and Robb had practically run off to send ravens to his mother, his father, and Jon at the Wall with instructions for him to tell Aemon the good news. Her only worry that day had been whether or not her old childhood nightmares of Robert Baratheon would return. She had said as much to Robb that night as they were preparing for bed, but he had reassured her that the King was nothing for her to fear. He'd seen them married after all, he had to know that one day they would have children. She had agreed with him and that night she had no nightmares of the King, rather she dreamed of dragons, something that never failed to put a smile on her face.

The only true sadness in her life right now was young Bran. After they had all celebrated him waking up, they had had to tell him that he would never walk again, a hard truth for a boy of eight to hear. His whole world had changed while he was asleep. His sisters, father, mother, and a good portion of Winterfell's household guards and servants were gone. Plus she and Robb were now so busy that he was frequently left alone with Old Nan to watch over him. Dany tried to spend time with him in his room, but it seemed that every time she settled down to do so, there was some urgent matter or another that she had to attend to.

Such as unexpected guests arriving at Winterfell. She wondered if Tyrion Lannister was innocent or just arrogant to show up after the attempted attack on Bran. Either way, they would have to act pleasant towards him until they had some concrete evidence against the Lannisters, something she doubted Robb would do on his own. He had been taught well by Eddard Stark to be a leader of his men, but Robb definitely lacked the savvy to be friendly to someone he saw as an enemy. Dany imagined if she didn't say anything, Robb would greet Tyrion with his sword in his lap, a clear warning for enemies.

Thinking of that, she pulled Robb aside, "Robb, we must be pleasant to Tyrion. The Lannisters can't know that we suspect anything right now. It would put the rest of the family in danger."

She could see Robb pondering that, but the Starks were nothing if not completely open about their feelings. She loved them for that, but it was a dangerous trait at times. Before Robb could answer, Theon seconded her words. "She's right Robb. The Imp will probably already be curious as to Lady Catelyn's whereabouts. There's no need to add fuel to the fire."

Robb nodded reluctantly, "Fine, but I still want guards in the hall and you and Hallis near the high seat. I want you to guard Dany, Theon. I won't let the Lannisters take me by surprise again."

Theon agreed before Dany could point out that Tyrion Lannister was hardly likely to attack her in front of Robb and the Winterfell guards. As Robb took her by the arm and escorted her down to the Great Hall, Dany looked back at Theon to see if he thought this was ridiculous as well, but he only smiled. He was no doubt imagining some thrilling fight with the Lannisters, or at the very least an amusing fight with a dwarf.

As Dany and Robb settled into Lord and Lady Stark's high seats, Robb waved for their guests to be admitted into the Hall. Dany wondered if they would be able to sense the anger in the room. Even though the guards did not know of their suspicions about the attack, these men were Stark men and not a one of them was particularly fond of the Lannisters. However, Tyrion Lannister did not seem remotely troubled by the harsh looks he was receiving.

"I welcome you to Winterfell in the absence of my parents," Robb said formally donning what she had heard Bran refer to as his Robb the Lord face. Dany tried to smile as pleasantly as she could to contrast with the sternness in Robb's face. "How can we help you?" he asked.

"I was actually hoping to speak with your Bran, Stark. I have business with him, or rather I have something to give him," the Imp said smiling.

Dany could feel Robb tense up next to her, she knew that was about the worst thing the Imp could have said. She squeezed Robb's hand hoping that would remind him of what she said about not letting them suspect anything was amiss. Before Robb could answer, she turned to Maester Luwin and asked him to go retrieve Bran.

"Thank you, my lady," Tyrion said smiling. "Married life seems to suit you. And young Jon Snow tells me that congratulations are in order. I also carry a letter from your Uncle Aemon, no doubt expressing his good wishes as well."

"Thank you, my lord," Dany replied summoning up all the courtesies that Lady Catelyn had instilled in her as he handed the letter over to one of the guards. "Both for your words and the letter from my uncle. And we are also pleased to have men of the Night's Watch joining us. It is an honor to receive the brave men who serve our realm so valiantly."

At those words, Robb seemed to remember himself. "Yes, any man of the Night's Watch is welcome here at Winterfell for as long as he wished to stay."

"Any man of the Night's Watch, but not me?" the dwarf asked slyly. "Do I understand you correctly, boy?"

Dany felt Theon inch closer to her chair at those words and she felt Robb tense even more at her side. She looked around the Hall desperately trying to think of a way to contain this situation. Luckily, she saw Hodor carrying Bran into the Hall. "Look, Bran, Lord Tyrion Lannister has come to see you."

"So it is true," the dwarf said studying Bran with his mismatched eyes as Hodor carried the boy over to where they sat. "You Starks are hard to kill."

"You had best remember that Lannister," Robb retorted. "You said you had business with Bran, here he is."

"I'm told you were quite the climber, Bran," he began. "Do you remember how you came to fall that day?"

"I _never _fall," Bran said as Dany knew he would, they had been over this as soon as he awoke, hoping for clues.

"The child has no memory of the fall, or the climb that came before it," Maester Luwin said gently as he knew how much the topic distressed Bran.

Before Robb could say something else rude, Dany quickly interjected, "I believe you said you had something for Bran, my lord."

The dwarf appraised her for a moment before he answered, "Indeed, tell me Bran, are you fond of riding?"

"The boy has lost the use of his legs," Maester Luwin interjected. "He cannot sit a horse."

"Nonsense, with the right horse and saddle, even a cripple can ride," Tyrion replied.

Dany looked at Bran and saw his face fall as he said through tears, "I am not a cripple."

She felt as though she would cry herself, she turned to glare at the dwarf, all her good intentions forgotten. But the dwarf seemed as unperturbed as ever as he only laughed and said, "Then I am not a dwarf, my father will rejoice to hear it." She heard Theon laugh at the jest behind her and Dany had to struggle with the urge to kick him.

She was still fighting her anger while Maester Luwin and Tyrion Lannister discussed the plans for the horse and the saddle he had designed for Bran. From the way Luwin was exclaiming over the drawing, it seemed as though it would work. Bran piped up, his voice full of hope, "Will I truly be able to ride?"

As Tyrion assured her that he would and that he would seem as tall as anyone on horseback, Dany exchanged a puzzled look with Robb. This was not what they were expected to happen during this visit. If this indeed would work, it would be a wonderful present for Bran, far better than anything anyone else had been able to do. And judging from the happy look on Bran's face, he felt the same way.

Robb turned and asked the question that Dany had been thinking, "Is this some trap, Lannister? What's Bran to you? Why would you want to help him?"

"Your brother Jon asked it of me. And I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things," he said sardonically and placing a hand on his heart as some of the men in the room laughed.

Dany could feel some of the tension in the room begin to alleviate and she was about to offer the hospitality of Winterfell to Tyrion and his party when the doors opened and Rickon rushed into the room with the direwolves behind him. Rickon stopped as soon as he saw the party in the center of the room, but the direwolves continued on, advancing on Tyrion Lannister growling as they picked up his scent.

"The wolves do not like the smell of you Lannister," Theon remarked.

"Perhaps it's time I took my leave," he replied attempting to back up, but the wolves kept coming and suddenly Shaggydog lunged at him and the others began to do the same. Dany could feel her panic mounting as the wolves attempted to bite the dwarf, yet all she could do was sit in shocked silence. Luckily Bran came to his senses as he called Summer to him and Robb and Rickon followed suit.

"Are you alright, my lord?" she asked cautiously when the wolves were contained.

"Save for my dignity and a dampness in the front of my pants, I am, my lady," he answered dabbing his forehead. "I thank you for calling them off of me, Bran, though now I will truly be taking my leave before they decide I am dinner once again."

Dany gave Robb a sharp look which he apparently picked up on as he said, somewhat reluctantly, "I thank you for your kindness to my brother, Lannister. The hospitality of Winterfell is yours as well."

Tyrion smiled at that but said, "No thank you, I saw an inn nearby, I think we shall all sleep easier if I am under a different roof for the night. I thank you and your lady wife for receiving me. Yoren, I shall see you on the road at daybreak."

With that, Tyrion Lannister took his leave while Robb turned to the men from the Night's Watch and told them that they would be honored if they dined with them that night and baths and beds would be available to them. Dany called Hodor over and asked him to take Bran back to his room to rest before dinner. When the hall was cleared, Robb let out a sigh of relief and turned to her and said, "That was not what I was expecting, do you think he would do that for Bran so we would not suspect his family?"

Dany thought hard about that, Tyrion Lannister did seem too clever by far, but there was no need for him to design a saddle for Bran. "I do not know," she answered honestly. "Bran is a sweet boy, perhaps he really did just want to help him for Jon's sake like he said."

"I don't know if life is that simple anymore," he answered looking much older than his fifteen years.

Truthfully, neither did she, but she was determined not to focus on the negatives. Bran would be able to ride a horse again and that was all to the good, whatever the dwarf's motivations were. She decided that she would only focus on the good for the rest of the night. She smiled up at Robb and asked him if he would like to join her in their room before dinner and was rewarded by the flush in his cheeks as he quickly stood and escorted her out of the Great Hall. Perhaps, she thought, Robb would like to focus on the good as well.

A/N: I definitely enjoy chapters more when I don't just have to rehash what already happened in the book, but hopefully everyone liked this one anyway. I'll try to update again soon as the plot thickens with all the chaos that is about to happen for the Starks. I'm not working for the next week with my knee still being out of commission so I will try to update again before Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read! Please review and thank you to everyone who already has, you guys keep me motivated.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: GRRM still owns it all, I'm just playing around with his characters while I'm waiting on _Winds of Winter_ to come out. A big thanks to KnightofHolyLight whose idea I used in this chapter. I'm trying to message everyone who reviewed and I made it back to chapter 7, but if I missed you or you were reviewed as a guest, sorry! I'll try to do better if you review this chapter. And just thanks for reading.

Theon II

A light snow was falling in Winterfell as Theon practiced at the archery butts. That was one good thing about the inevitable march south, it would be warmer. He had thought about mentioning that to Robb, but he knew Robb would remind him that hopefully they would not have to march south. Theon thought it that was being optimistic to the point of stupidity.

He wondered if the lack for political intrigue was in the blood. It had been a hard sell to get Robb to be pleasant to the Imp during that disastrous surprise meeting nearly two moons ago. Theon imagined it would have been much the same with the honorable Lord Eddard Stark. Theon was grateful that it was something that neither he nor Dany had picked up on by learning from his example. The same could not be said for Catelyn Stark though, unless the Tullys were as bad at intrigue as the Starks. He still could not believe that she had taken the Imp captive, nor could he particularly see why she had taken him captive. It was true that they all had reason to suspect the Lannisters, but Theon had been under the impression that they were looking for actual evidence to present to Lord Stark or the King. Instead it seemed that Lady Catelyn had decided to try pulling the lion by its tail. Everyone knew that a Lannister always paid their debts and the Imp was a Lannister even if he was the least of them.

The tension in Winterfell since receiving that diasterous raven from the Eyrie had definitely increased. Robb was at a loss for what to do and had spent many an evening conferencing with Theon, Maester Luwin, Hallis, and Dany. Theon thought it was odd that the overprotective Robb was allowing Dany to join the strategy meetings, but it was Dany who seemed to be handling the stress the best aside from himself of course. She certainly seemed calm at the moment, watching Bran as he rode his new horse around the yard. Bran was planning on taking Dancer outside Winterfell's walls tomorrow for the first time and Dany was fussing over him like a mother hen. Theon thought she was trying to make up for the absence of Lady Catelyn, something that upset both Bran and Rickon a great deal, or maybe she was just practicing her hand at mothering. The boy seemed grateful for the attention though. He had seemed especially pleased when Dany had mentioned naming her child Brandon if it were a boy. Theon had suggested his own name instead and had to feign indignation when she had responded that she would consider naming her child Theon if she had a daughter. Truthfully he was just pleased that not everyone in Winterfell was behaving as a dour Northman.

He had been thinking about walking over there to recommend the many merits of a tradition name from the Iron Islands for the future heir of Winterfell when Joseth, the new master of horse had appeared and addressed Theon.

"Lord Robb requests that you and Lady Daenerys join him in Maester Luwin's chambers," the thin stableman said. "I will see to young Bran and Dancer here."

Dany and Theon's eyes met and he knew that she was wondering what could have happened now as well, but she merely nodded and told Bran she would see him later and allowed Theon to take her arm and escort her towards the Maester's chambers.

"What do you think it is now?" she asked when they were out of earshot. "I hope the Lannisters haven't gotten wind of Lord Tyrion's abduction."

"It's only a matter of time, I think," he said. "I mean she abducted him on the road, there is no way she could have silenced all the witnesses. Though perhaps Robb has received word that Lady Stark set the Imp free again."

"Would that help at this point?" Dany asked. "She still took him, I doubt the Lannisters will forget that slight."

Theon knew she was right, he thought the best thing they could do at this point was to hold on to the Imp to ensure his family's good behavior. He just hoped Lady Stark had the sense to know that. He opted not to say that to Dany though, he assumed she had already worked that out for herself, and they were now at Maester Luwin's chambers so they could find out for themselves what had transpired.

They knocked and when they entered they saw Robb looking strained as he read a letter. Dany went instantly to his side, but he did not greet her as affectionately as he normally would, instead he merely handed the letter to her. Theon went to stand behind her to read the letter over her shoulder.

It was from Alyn in King's Landing and in reading, Theon was suddenly struck by how true the proverb of dark wings, dark words were. The letter said that Lord Stark and the Kingslayer had fought in the streets of the city and now Lord Stark was grievously injured, apparently his horse had fallen on his leg, shattering it, and they were unsure when he would awake. The Kingslayer had also killed Jory, Wyl, and Heward during the fight and now Jaime Lannister had fled the city.

He heard Dany draw in her breathe and ask, "I take it the Lannisters know Lady Catelyn abducted Lord Tyrion. What will you do, Robb?"

"You must call the banners," Theon heard himself urge. "This must be answered, blood for blood. This attack cannot go unanswered."

Robb merely looked at him in response, he seemed to be in a state of shock, but Maester Luwin protested, "We must not by hasty, we must not be the ones to invite war."

Theon had been about to respond that the maester was as timid as an old woman, but Dany beat him to it by saying, "No! Theon is right. We cannot let the Kingslayer get away with this unscathed. He _killed_ three good men and injured Lord Eddard."

Robb and Maester Luwin seemed surprised by her vehemence, Theon thought that maybe the wolf pup growing in her belly was making her feistier, though she did have an old grudge against the Kingslayer he supposed. Either way, he was glad there was someone else who understood the need for action, and judging by the way her purple eyes were blazing up at Robb, Dany was going to make Robb understand the need as well.

"I want to make him pay too, Dany," Robb said gently taking her hands, "but I have to do the right thing to protect our family. Only the Lord of Winterfell can call the banners and that is still my father. So for now, I think we should wait until we receive more word." Theon fought back the urge to point out that Robb would soon be the Lord of Winterfell if his father did not recover.

"Surely King Robert will deal with this," the maester cut in. "It is his duty to dispense justice."

Dany's eyes snapped up to Maester Luwin and for a moment Theon thought she would actually strike the old man. Instead, she said in a voice that could cut glass, "The King has often been remiss about doling out justice where the Lannisters are concerned," and with that, she stormed out of the room.

Robb made to follow her, but Theon held him back. "I'd let her calm down if I were you, unless you want to get burned by the dragon."

He nodded somewhat reluctantly and turned to Maester Luwin. "Please send a raven back to Alyn asking him to keep us informed."

The maester scurried off to obey leaving Theon and Robb relatively alone. He had been about to start up on why Robb should take action, but Robb held up his hands before Theon could speak. "I know," he said sounding weary. "I want revenge as well, but I have to think about what my father would do. When he left, he told me the honor of the north was in my hands. I want to do what is right and I am not convinced that starting a war is the right thing to do."

"I am not sure if war is avoidable at this point, Robb," Theon answered seriously. "The Kingslayer has to know that this won't go unavenged. He killed three of your father's men in the streets of King's Landing and has now fled the city. Undoubtedly he and his father are preparing for war as we speak."

"I know," Robb said. "I just don't want to endanger my father or the girls. I will not make a hasty decision. We will talk more on this later. Will you go and tell Hallis of this? I want the men to be prepared. Just don't let Bran or Rickon find out, I don't want them to be upset right now. I need to go see to my wife. I don't want her to stay upset in her condition."

Theon agreed and refrained from telling him that Dany was unlikely to calm down easily. Robb knew her best and he was a brave man if he was willing to go face down his angry pregnant wife. He just hoped Dany could wake Robb up to the fact that war, like winter, was coming.

A/N: That was shorter than I thought it would be but I was just setting up for Robb having to call the banners. I hope everyone enjoyed it, I'll probably post again on Friday with Robb's chapter. Please feel free to review and thank you to everyone for reviewing and putting this story on their favorites list and alerts list. You guys keep me motivated!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: It still belongs to GRRM, I'm just writing for fun. Thanks to everyone for reading/alerting/favoriting/reviewing. It really does keep me motivated knowing that people actually seem to enjoy this story. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint as I've had a rough time starting PT for my knee. This chapter was a bit shorter than I expected after my revisions, but oh well. Let me know what you think!

Robb IV

The banners flew over the winter town. The Karstarks were the last addition to the men, their black banner with the white sunburst adding to the Bolton's flayed man, the mailed fist of the Glovers, the Mormont's bear, the Umber's fierce giant, the Tallhart's trees, the battle axe of the Cerwyns, and the bull moose for the Hornwoods. The Manderlys were to meet them on the march south, the march that would happen at dawn on the morrow. He had waited long enough, they had all the men they could expect from the north. He would have to hope his mother's family's men in the Riverlands rallied to their cause as well.

Robb had no desire to lead his father's bannermen into battle, but he also had no choice now. King Robert was dead and his father was imprisoned on some false charge of treason. They had to march south if they were to free him and the girls. The fighting had already begun in the Riverlands and they had to aid the Tullys if they wanted to be able to move against Lannisters and on to King's Landing.

They had no clear idea of what they were facing. Every new bannermen brought with them strange rumors of what had happened in King's Landing. Robb had heard everything from a rumor that his father had killed King Robert, to one that said his father's head now decorated the Red Keep, to one that said Arya and Sansa had been killed by the Hound, or even that his mother had killed the Imp and displayed his body from the Eyrie. The only real news he had gotten came in a letter that had gotten from Sansa saying that their father had been imprisoned for conspiring to commit treason with the King's brothers and that Robb, Dany, and his mother were all required to come swear fealty to King Joffrey. Sansa wrote that they must be loyal to King Joffrey and that she would ask him to spare their father's life in return when they married. She had said nothing in the letter about Arya. Robb had never hated his sister but in that moment he had come very close to it. So they would march south, but not to swear fealty to that brat Joffrey, they would march south with all the strength of the north behind them to free his father and his sisters, even Sansa.

Still, he had no real desire to lead the men himself. He had not quite reached his sixteenth name day and he had never been to war. Maester Luwin advised him to appoint one of the bannermen to lead, but Robb knew his father would never have done that, so he opted to lead them himself. He had told Luwin, and his brothers who had been just as upset, that he was doing what he had to do. He did not know if they believed him or if they thought he was just a boy seeking glory, but it was the truth.

The bannermen themselves had tested Robb. Some, like the Greatjon, had threatened him, others insulted him for his youth, and others still tried to bribe him into receiving favors. It had taken all he had learned from his father and much of Dany's curtsies to bend them to his will, but it had been done. They would follow him south and obey him.

He had not expected to have to fight his wife about the march south, but he had never expected that she would think she should accompany him. He had tried using her pregnancy as a reason she should stay here, but she had countered that Dothraki women rode on horseback until they delivered, when pointed out that she was not a Dothraki, she simply said that they would be travelling slowly with all the supplies and she would travel in one of the wagons. He tried using Bran and Rickon as a reason to stay, but she had said Lady Catelyn would be home soon and they would be fine, that her place was with her husband. He had then tried to tell her it would not be safe with all the fighting and she had snapped that it would not be safe for him either. Robb had then made the mistake of appealing to Theon, expecting he would show some sense. But he had shocked Robb by saying, "I think you should let her go. We're traveling south and we need allies if you want to defeat the Lannisters. There are many great houses in the south that fought under her father's banner that still have no love for the Baratheons. You see how some of these Northmen look at her. Your Targaryen wife makes quite the asset on a campaign. Not to mention I think she'll steal a horse and chase after you if you leave her, might as well get a midwife and take her with you. It'll be easier."

He wasn't pleased at the thought of using his wife to stir up Targaryen loyalists to join their cause, that was what their marriage was made to prevent after all, but Theon technically had right of that, they would need to garner more support as they marched south. Even Maester Luwin had reluctantly mentioned that House Martell and House Tyrell and many of their bannermen had stayed loyal to King Aerys even after his cause was lost. And Robb hated to admit that Theon was probably even more right about Dany sneaking out of Winterfell to chase after them if he left her behind. He would have to leave her locked in the dungeons if he wanted her to actually stay home. So they had compromised, she would stay at Riverrun once they had secured the castle from the Lannisters. Neither one of them had been happy about it, but she would be nearer to Robb which seemed to be what she wanted, and honestly he wanted that too, he was just afraid for her. For that reason, he had also commanded that she have her own guard on the road for the march south, something Dany though unnecessary but Robb had insisted upon.

Dany was currently trying to talk to Rickon about why they had to leave. He wished her well, the boy had been running wild since hearing the news. Robb felt bad for him, but he was a Stark and he needed to learn that some things in life were unavoidable. He hoped that the boy would settle down once their mother returned home. Bran had been nearly as upset, but he hid it better. He would have to be the Stark in Winterfell until they returned, hopefully with their father. It was a big responsibility for a boy of eight who had just lost the use of his legs, but he would be well looked after by Maester Luwin and the rest of the household staying behind.

Robb himself had called a meeting with the lords of his bannermen to discuss their final plans for the march on the morrow. He was sure they all had very different ideas for the march, but his father had taught him to always seek the opinions of the lords that swore fealty to Winterfell. Still, he did not relish talking to Lord Bolton with his cold eyes, that man scared him more than the Greatjon ever had. He had expected that they would all protest the fact that he was bring Dany on the march, but they had been surprisingly accepting of the fact. Perhaps it was because Maege Mormont had sent her daughter Daecy to lead her men. Or perhaps Theon had the right of it, the Northmen did all seem to look at his wife with a sort of awe, whether that was because she was so beautiful, or whether it was because she a direct descendant of Aegon the Conqueror, Robb did not know. Either way, he was glad he had not need to use Grey Wind to get them in line.

As he reached the door to his solar, he could hear them all inside arguing and Robb took a minute to compose himself. He supposed his was donning what Dany and Bran called his "Robb the Lord" face. When he felt ready, he opened the door and said, "Men! We begin our march to fight the Lannisters tomorrow!"

His words were met with a roar of approval that Robb used to boost himself up and tell himself that he was ready for this. He hoped he was right because if he wasn't ready, then his father and his sisters were doomed.

A/N: I will try to update again on Sunday when we get to see Catelyn again as we march south. I hope everyone enjoyed it. As many of you have pointed out, the Freys won't be able to get Robb in a marriage proposal, but as they're Freys I am sure they'll ask for something. Please feel free to leave a review as they are much appreciated and a massive thank you for just reading. You guys rock!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: GRRM still own everything and I'm just still writing for fun while I'm waiting on the next book to come out. I had some technical difficulties with this one, namely that our internet has been on the fritz. But here it is. I did deviate from canon a bit on this, which was fun for me, and hopefully will be believable for you. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Daenerys VI

When the march had started south, Daenerys had felt a mix of dread and excitement. She dreaded that they were going to war and that men would die. She was particularly worried for Robb and Theon, but she knew that many of these men were leaving behind a wife, or a sister, or a mother who worried for them as much as she worried. She could only pray that the Lannisters were easily defeated and that they were able to secure the safe return of Lord Eddard, Sansa, and Arya. Anytime she worried about the potential cost of this war, she reminded herself that they were marching to free the man who had saved her as a baby and had raised her with his own children and let her join his family. Though, as Theon liked to remind her, it did somewhat please her that they were fighting the Lannisters. They had destroyed her first family and Dany would do anything she could to help make sure they did not do the same to her new family.

She had also been excited to get to travel though. She knew that she was born on Dragonstone and had been taken to King's Landing, but once Lord Eddard had agreed to take her to Winterfell, she had never really left the castle. She'd only gone to the nearby winter town and occasionally gone riding in the Wolfswood. Dany had always dreamed of being able to see other places that she had only heard about in Maester Luwin's lessons, but it had not been possible while King Robert was alive. Now, she was on the march heading south and she intended to enjoy it as much as she possibly she could.

So far though, they had only seen Moat Cailin as everything before that had been just small villages as they travelled down the Kingsroad. And Moat Cailin was not a wondrous sight in itself. Dany remembered her history and she knew that there were once supposed to be twenty great towers at the former stronghold of the First Men. Now, however, all that remained were three towers, the rest was all in ruin. Robb had assured her that it was much more impressive than it looked as the three towers commanded the causeway and anyone who wanted to get through would have to pass through an impenetrable bog. She believed him, but she was glad that they were only staying long enough to meet up with the Manderly forces.

They had only had to wait at Moat Cailin for a few days when the Manderly host arrived, and with them were some surprise guests. Dany and Robb had been in their rudimentary chambers in the Gatehouse Tower discussing what his men had just said in their war council when Theon had appeared at the door to announce that they Manderlys had arrived and brought Lady Stark. She and Robb had been shocked by that as they had both thought that Lady Catelyn would return to Winterfell as soon as she was able, but they had barely had enough time to remark on that when Lady Catelyn herself entered the room.

They both stood and Robb cried out, "_Mother?_" as though he did quite believe that she was there. But soon enough, Lady Catelyn had crossed the room and had both of them in an embrace. Dany was most assuredly glad that she had arrived after the war council as there was no doubt that Robb would have been humiliated to be hugged by his mother in front of his bannermen.

"Oh Robb," Lady Catelyn said when she released them, her voice thick with emotions, "you've grown a beard. And Daenerys, you look lovely, you're handling your pregnancy well. But what are you both doing here?"

Robb looked faintly ashamed by that, as though he was expecting a scolding. But he stood up straight quickly enough and said, "Father would have lead the men south himself and so shall I. And Dany refused to stay behind." Lady Catelyn looked ready to protest at that and Dany was more than ready for her. She would not be sent home like a child, but Robb beat her to it by saying, "There's no need to argue, Mother. I assure you, I tried them all. She's travelling in a litter and we've brought along a midwife and she's agreed to stay in Riverrun once we secure the castle. And we could use her if we're to attract allies on the way."

"I see that you have both grown in my absence," Lady Catelyn said with an odd look on her face. "I am proud of you both, I only wish that there had been no need. You are both so young."

"Well," Dany said speaking up for the first time, "you and Lord Eddard raised us well my lady. We are ready."

"Tell me Mother," Robb asked as though to cut off any more talk of them being too young, "do you still hold the Imp captive? He would make a good hostage to use in a trade."

"No, I wish to the Gods I did," she answered. "My fool of a sister freed him after forcing holding a mummer's trial by battle. Nor will Lysa agree to send any of the Arryn forces to aid you. We received your raven and while all her bannermen were eager to join our cause, Lysa insisted they stay put. The only knight I've brought from the Vale is my uncle Ser Brynden Tully, though he is the best of them."

Dany was dismayed by these words, and she could tell that Robb was as well. They were relying on being able to use Tyrion Lannister as a hostage. It was after all the best they could make out of a bad situation. Dany had to fight the urge to ask her good mother why she had taken him captive in the first place, something that had begun all the fighting in the Riverlands. Instead, she managed to ask, "Have you heard the news about Lord Eddard, my lady?"

"Yes," Lady Catelyn said looking deeply troubled. "Lord Manderly told me about the raven he received when I arrived in White Harbor. Have you any news of your sisters?"

"There was a letter from Sansa," Robb replied as he retrieved the crumpled letter from the desk and handed it to his mother. "You received one as well but I did not think to bring yours with us."

Lady Catelyn read the letter and Dany watched the various emotions flicker across her face. She seemed to settle at last on fear as she looked up and said, "This letter might be in Sansa's hands, but these are Cersei's words. The real message is in what is not in the letter. All this talk about how kindly the Lannisters are treating her… I know a threat even when it is a veiled one. She is being held hostage and they mean to keep her there."

"Yes, I know," Robb said sadly. "I had hoped to be able to trade the Imp for the girls. If they even still have Arya. Did you notice that Sansa did not even mention her?"

She could see that Lady Catelyn heard the anger in Robb's voice as well. Dany knew that the anger was rooted in fear for his little sister, the same fears that she and Lady Catelyn surely had. Dany put a hand on Robb's arm and gently said, "Perhaps Cersei purposely had Sansa leave any mention of Arya out of the letter in order to frighten us." She did not know if she was right, but she felt the need to reassure him, though judging by the look on his face, he saw right through that ploy. Still he kissed her on the head and merely said perhaps.

"Do you have a plan Robb?" Lady Catelyn asked. "You've called the banners and led the men south, but are you prepared to do what needs to be done even if it means putting your father and sisters in peril?"

Dany could see that Lady Catelyn was testing her son, but she would find that he was a man now, despite the fact that he had not yet seen sixteen name days. Dany had been there to see it happen and to help him along. She knew he was scared, but he also knew what had to be done. She had even been to some of the war councils with him and she knew that Robb was truly his father's son and that he was prepared to fight this war.

Robb smiled slightly and said, "Yes mother, I have a plan. I had hoped to have the Imp as a hostage and that the Arryns would join us as we moved south, but we have a plan, and we will march now that the Manderlys have joined us."

He then proceeded to tell him mother of their plan to split his force in two, one led by Roose Bolton to make Lord Tywin think that they were moving on him, while the main force, led by Robb himself, would surprise the Kingslayer as he lay siege to Riverrun. Dany was pleased to note that he even gave her the credit of suggesting that Lord Bolton engage Lord Tywin and not the Greatjon like Robb had initially wanted, her husband was nothing if not honest. The two forces would split once they met the Freys at the Twins, who Robb hoped would join them as they were bannermen to the Tullys.

Dany could see that Lady Catelyn was impressed. All she really had to add was that Robb would need to be careful of Lord Walder Frey, that he was as wily and as untrustworthy as his reputation suggested. After he was finished explaining his plans, he said, "I will order an escort to see you home to Winterfell. I am sure you are as anxious to get back to Bran and Rickon as they are to see you, Mother."

But Lady Catelyn surprised them again by saying tearfully, "I am not going to Winterfell. My father may be dying and Riverrun is surrounded by enemies. I am going south with you."

Dany could see that Robb was not pleased by that, but she knew that he would not be able to deny her if he had allowed his pregnant wife to accompany him. "Very well then. I must summon another council to tell them the news you've brought, Mother. And I'd like to meet your uncle, the Blackfish is definitely a welcome addition to our cause. But please, rest here with Dany. I shall have them send food up and see to it that chambers are prepared for you." With that he kissed his mother on her cheek and kissed Dany briefly on the forehead and departed.

Dany opened her mouth to inquire if she could get anything for her good mother, but Lady Catelyn beat her to it by saying with a wry grin, "Do not trouble yourself, Daenerys. You are the one with child, you should rest."

"Thank you, my lady," she replied and with a surge of affection she took Lady Catelyn's hands and said, "It is good to see you, my lady."

"Despite the fact that I was unexpected?" she asked smiling. "I was worried for you both, but I see that I should not have feared. You and Robb are both truly Starks, that gives me comfort in these troubled times."

Dany felt herself smile back, it gave her comfort as well.

A/N: I will try to pick back on Wednesday when we will get to see the Freys. I'm going back to work on Thursday so I think I'm going to try to get back on my original updating schedule of Wednesdays and Sundays. Anyway, I hope everyone liked it and please feel free to leave a review. And thank you for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting the story so far. You guys are amazing!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: GRRM still owns everything. I'm just writing for fun. Sorry this is getting up late and for not replying to the reviews. I've had awful writer's block. This is about the third complete rewrite I've done for this chapter. I'm still very not happy with it. But oh well, it doesn't seem to be getting better. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better and I hope everyone hates it less than I do. And I will respond to reviews this time, but for now I'll just say a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. All the response to the story really does keep me going.

Robb V

When they finally reached the Twins, Robb's fears were not alleviated. He had sent his mother's uncle Ser Brynden Tully with a hundred chosen men to scout ahead and screen their movements from the Lannisters, which they had done successfully, but the reports they brought back were troubling. While Lord Tywin's host was still south of them, Jaime Lannister had destroyed Edmure Tully's host and captured Edmure. Now the Kingslayer had Riverrun under siege and to help them, they must be able to cross the Green Fork, which would require Lord Walder Frey's assistance.

From what they had been able to ascertain, Lord Frey had gathered four thousand men and was holding them inside the walls of the Twins. They had had some skirmishes with the Lannisters, but had not ridden forth to assist Riverrun as they should have as they were bannermen to Hoster Tully. Robb knew that Lord Frey could not be hoping to fight the Lannisters alone, but no one could guess what his true intentions were, luckily Ser Brynden had been shooting down all the ravens that left the castle.

His mother knew old Lord Walder best, but she had not been the most useful in her information. When Robb had said that surely Lord Walder would want to join their cause, she had simply said that if you expect nothing of Lord Walder, you would never be surprised. The only other information she would offer was that they would extract a toll if he permitted them to cross, something that Robb was not happy about. The old man should have marched to help his liege lord, but as Dany pointed out, he seemed to be hedging his bets and he did have a son married to Lord Tywin's sister after all.

Looking at the Twins, he realized that there was no way to storm the castle and it would take too long to lay siege to it. His bannermen all seemed to agree with him and they agreed that it would take too long to go over the Green Fork any other way because of the recent rains. They needed to get to Riverrun as soon as possible.

When they finally rode in sight of the Twins, a sally port opened and a draw bridge was lowered and a dozen knights rode out to meet them, led by four Freys of the Crossing. As the Freys rode into sight, he heard Theon behind him whisper something to Dany about how they all resembled weasels, which Robb had to admit was true. The oldest, no doubt Lord Walder's heir Ser Stevron, rode in front and addressed Robb's company of men by saying, "My father has sent me to greet you, and inquire as to who leads this mighty host."

Robb spurred his horse forward with Grey Wind at his side and replied, "I do."

He could detect a look of amusement in Ser Stevron's eyes, no doubt thinking that he was too young to lead his men, but he said politely enough, "My lord Father would be most honored if you would share meat and mead with him in the castle and explain your intentions here." His beady eyes then spotted Dany and he added, "Your lady wife would be welcome as well."

Robb could hear the shock and anger go through his men at those words, they all roared their mistrust and disapproval. Finally it seemed there was something they all agreed on.

"You must not do this my lord. You or my lady," Galbart Glover pleaded. "Lord Walder cannot be trusted with either of you."

Roose Bolton nodded, "Go in there and you're his. You would both be valuable hostages to the Lannisters. He could sell you to the Lannisters, though he might just slit your throat, my lord."

The Manderly brothers agreed, insisting that Lord Walder could come out there to treat with him so that they might protect them. They said there was no reason for him to meet in secret inside the castle.

Robb agreed with everything they said, and he'd be damned before he let Dany walk into that castle with these treacherous Freys, but he could see that Ser Stevron was getting angry by what he was hearing. Robb had been about to ask his men to be quiet, when his mother suddenly volunteered to go in and speak with Lord Walder on her own.

"You, my lady?" The Greatjon asked in a concerned tone.

"Are you sure mother?" Robb asked. He was worried. It would be better than having he or Dany go in, and he could scarce ask one of his bannermen to do it, but he did not want his mother taken prisoner like his father.

"Never more certain," his mother answered smiling. "Lord Walder is my father's bannermen. I have known him since I was a girl. He would never harm me."

Robb could tell she was lying through her teeth, but it was the best option they had. Ser Strevon graciously agreed and offered to leave his brother Ser Perwyn with them as proof of their good intentions.

Robb could only say that he wanted his mother returned to them by sundown as they were eager to move on. He tried to infuse his words with as much sincerity as possible, but Robb could tell that Ser Stevron was less than impressed until he glanced at Ser Brynden, at which point he readily agreed.

As his mother rode off surrounded by the Freys, Robb turned to Ser Perwyn and told him that the Greatjon would make sure he was comfortable. He had to try not to laugh at Ser Perwyn's face once he glanced up at the Greatjon, but he held it in and instead went to Dany and helped her get down from the wagon.

"Are you sure you would not be more comfortable traveling in your litter, my love?" he asked her, not for the first time.

"Yes, I want to be able to see everything. I cannot see a thing enclosed in that litter," she said. "I would rather be on horseback, the maester you have travelling with us said I would be safe enough."

Robb had heard this argument many times as well and was in no mood to rehash it. It only had made him want to strangle their maester, he knew old Luwin would never had said such a thing to Daenerys. Still he only smiled and said, "You will have to forgive your husband for being concerned. How do you feel?"

"I'm well, Robb," she said smiling. "Your son has been kicking me something fierce though, I do not think he likes these weasels any more than I do." With that she took his hand and placed it on her ever growing stomach to let him feel that babe moving around. It was still a strange experience, knowing that they had created a child that was stirring in her womb now. He had asked her how she was sure it was a boy, but she had just smiled and said she just knew. The midwife they had brought south with them agreed that it was likely because she was carrying so low, but Dany sounded far more certain.

He could feel himself smile his infatuated smile, or as Theon was want to call it, his gormless smile. "You look beautiful, my lady. Would you care to walk with me?"

Dany laughed. "I look awful. I've been riding in a wagon all day and I'm fat. Only you would call me beautiful. But if you don't mind your men seeing your fat and dirty wife, I would like to stretch my legs."

Robb took her arm and began to walk with her amongst his men with Grey Wind following them. His father had imparted the importance of getting to know his own men because, as he said, if they did not know you, why would they follow you into battle. And while Dany might think she was fat and dirty, he knew his men did not think that was the case. The most hardened men at arms blushed when his lady wife addressed them. She spoke gently to all of them while Robb asked how they were all getting along on the march south and promised that soon they would defeat the Lannisters in battle.

While they walked around and spoke to his men, Robb felt a familiar terror well up in him. He felt too young to be leading his men to battle, but how else would he free his family. He fought it down and concentrated on just enjoying time with his wife. He just wished with all his heart that they were back at Winterfell with his father and the girls. But he elaborated his fantasy in his head and imagined a Winterfell where Bran had never fallen and Jon had never gone to the Wall. It was bittersweet. He turned his thoughts once again to the task at hand.

As the day began to creep closer to sunset, they began to walk back and Robb's thoughts once again turned to his brother on the Wall. He wished that Jon was marching south to free father with them. He turned to Dany and asked if she had written her Uncle Aemon recently.

"I wrote about our march south before we left," she said. "I also told him about the dragon's eggs and Viserys. I have not heard back from yet. I imagine it would be hard for a raven to find us on the march. I can write to him again when we reach Riverrun, would you like me to ask about Jon?"

He smiled, "Yes. I wish he was marching with us, but I know he cannot. Just ask him how Jon is doing and tell him that we miss him."

"I dreamed about Jon the other night," she said in an odd tone. Robb had been about to tease her but Dany had a strange far away expression on her face. "He and I were looking at my dragon's eggs and talking about what we should name them when they hatched. In the dream, one egg was mine, one was his, and someone else claimed the third."

Robb had had his own fair share of strange dreams lately, he just been too embarrassed to mention them until now. He was about to tell her about the dreams he had recently about Grey Wind when he saw that the plank bridge had been lowered across the moat at the Twins again and his lady mother was returning. Vowing to tell Dany about his dreams later, he entrusted his wife to Theon, mounted up, and rode out to meet his mother to see what toll Lord Frey wanted for them to cross.

He felt glad but nervous when his mother told him that Lord Walder would grant the crossing and would add his men to their own. He agreed with his mother to supplement the troops Lord Walder was leaving to hold the Twins and suggested that Ser Helman Tallhart stay behind to make sure Lord Walder kept his word. When his mother had agreed with his suggestion, he asked hesitantly, "What… what did he want of us?"

"If you can spare some men, I need an escort for two of Lord Walder's grandsons to Winterfell. I've agreed to take them on as wards. They are seven and eight and are both oddly called Walder. Your brother Bran will be happy for the company I think."

"Is that all? Two fosterlings? That's a small enough price to pay-"

"Lord Frey's son Olyvar will be coming with us," she continued. "He is to serve as your personal squire. His father would like to see him knighted, in good time."

"A squire," Robb said easily, still relieved. "That's fine, if he's-"

His mother interrupted once again, "Also, if your sister Arya is returned to us safely, it is agreed that she will marry Lord Walder's youngest son, Elmar, when the two of them come of age."

Robb thought of Arya who all the guards in Winterfell called Arya Underfoot and imagined her being forced to marry a Frey. All he could say was, "Arya won't like that one bit." He could only hope that she and Elmar Frey got along as well as he did with Dany. "Did he ask for anything else?"

"Yes," his mother said hesitantly. "He initially asked that you agree to marry your first born son to one of his daughters or granddaughters. He has apparently heard that Daenerys is with child."

"That's out of the question. No one can make a marriage contract for a child that has not been born yet," Robb said instantly feeling a desire to storm the Twins after all. He knew that Dany would feel the same way.

"I told him as much," his mother said calmly. "He has instead agreed that Rickon will marry Ser Stevron's granddaughter Perra when they come of age. He also insists that you give Rickon lands and see to it that he is knighted so that it is a worthy match."

"I would have done that for Rickon anyway," Robb said still shocked at Lord Walder's gall. "I take it you agreed to his bargains?"

"Yes," his mother replied sounding none too happy. "What else was there to do? We must have the crossing."

He realized that she was right, but Robb was not happy with Lord Walder for extracting this toll. He hoped he had not condemned his sibling to marrying into a horrible family, but it was time to move on and begin the real war.

They crossed the Green Fork at evening fall and split the troops once they had done so. Robb felt assured that Roose Bolton could distract Lord Tywin while they advanced to Riverrun. He took the majority of the horsed troops with him south. Now the real fighting could begin.

A/N: Well there it is. I hope it wasn't too awful, I just felt like I was making it worse with my rewrites. I'll try to update again soon, but it might not be until Monday depending on how work goes on my knee. Thank you again to everyone who reviewed and I promise to do better about responding to reviews. And another thanks to everyone who read the story and especially to those who subscribed and favorited it. You guys rock!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: GRRM still owns everything, I'm just writing for fun while waiting on the next book to come out. No copyright infringement is intended. This chapter does not deviate that much from canon because I didn't think that much would change. However, I don't think that will be the case for the next chapter based on what I've written so far.

Daenerys VII

She tried to be brave when Robb bid her farewell and mounted his grey stallion. It took everything Dany had not to grab him and refuse to let him go off to fight. Still, she had maintained her composure and relinquished him after he kissed her. She returned to her guards as Olyvar Frey helped her husband mount his horse.

After he was mounted up, he looked at her guards and reminded them to remember their orders and bid her and his mother farewell, promising to see them soon. Dany put a hand on her stomach and prayed that he was right. Lady Catelyn reached over and grabbed her hand as Robb rode down towards his men. Now came the worst part, the waiting.

Dany knew that the night could go badly. This was a calculated gamble on the part of Robb, but he and all his men seemed to think that they could sneak up and surprise the Kingslayer, and his men had assured him that Jaime Lannister was not known for his patience. So Robb and his men were betting on the element of surprise and that the Kingslayer would want to ride out and meet them head on. Dany agreed that they were probably right, but the idea that she might never see Robb again was almost too much to bear.

She reassured herself that Robb was well protected though. Many of the sons of his bannermen had clamored for a chance to protect the Young Wolf, as they were now calling her husband, in the battle. Dany thought that was a smart move on their part though Robb had deemed it unnecessary. She had reminded him that he was the leader of this army and that they could not continue on without him, therefore it was imperative that he be protected. He had countered by selecting forty men to guard Dany and his mother. Hallis Mollen was in charge of their guard as he was the captain of the guard at Winterfell and he had been given specific instructions to take Dany and ride for Seagard if the fighting went against them. Dany had objected to that, but her protests had been shouted down by her husband, her good mother, Theon, and every one of the bannermen. She had been prepared to get angry and storm out, but Ser Brynden Tully had pointed out that she would make the most valuable hostage to the Lannisters as she was carrying the heir to Winterfell. Robb had offered to let Theon guard her as a means of appeasing her, but Dany wanted Theon guarding Robb in the battle and so he was.

Now she watched as the rode off to do battle with the Lannisters. Robb looked back at her one last time and lifted his sword in salute. Dany and Lady Catelyn each lifted a hand in farewell as they watched the men ride off. When Robb was out of sight, Dany heard a cry of desperation leave her throat and felt Lady Catelyn wrap her arms around her and comfort her. By the time she had gathered herself together, she could hear the signal that meant the Lannisters were coming and the sounds of war began to make themselves heard.

The battle seemed to take ages while Dany stood with her good mother and listened and looked desperately for any sign of Robb. There were times when Dany could hear his voice as clearly as if he were standing next to her and even more times when she could hear Grey Wind howling into the night. The fact that he had his wolf next to him made Dany feel more secure. She knew Grey Wind was no ordinary wolf and that he would give his last breath protecting Robb. But mostly, all she could hear were cries of "Winterfell" and "Riverrun" or "Stark" and "Tully" along with the sounds of men fighting and dying.

When at last dawn broke, Dany heard Grey Wind once again and this time she could hear him closer to her. She looked at saw Robb riding towards her on a different horse than he had left on. Dany gave a cry of relief and ran towards him. He dismounted and held her tightly. It was then that she noticed the blood on him. "Are you hurt?" she cried urgently.

"No, my love, it's not my blood, it belongs to Torrhen or perhaps…" he trailed off looking distraught and did not finish his sentence..

Before she could question him further, Robb released her to go greet his mother. Then Dany heard Theon cry out, "Dany! We've brought you a present!" She looked at saw a grinning Theon and the Greatjon walking up the hill and in between them bound and bloodied was the Kingslayer.

She heard Lady Catelyn's wordless exclamation as she and Robb moved back towards Dany's side. Dany stared transfixed at Jaime Lannister. While he looked much worse than when she had last seen him at Winterfell, he still seemed just as arrogant. He threw a lazy grin up at her and said, "Why if it isn't the Stark ladies. I'd offer you my sword but I seemed to have misplaced it."

"I don't want your sword," Lady Catelyn replied in a cold voice. "Give me my father and my brother back. Give me my husband and my daughters."

"I seemed to have misplaced them as well," he quipped as though he was not surrounded my enemies. "And you, my lady," he said turning his emerald eyes on her, "is there anything you wanted of me?"

"To see you burn in the seven hells Kingslayer," Dany answered, her voice remaining steady and not betraying the fear she felt looking at this man.

The northmen all cheered her response, but Ser Jaime just smiled all the wider and said, "That's a shame. Your father was quite fond of burning too. I suppose you know what happened to him."

Dany heard the angry hiss of the men around her and she saw Robb reach for his sword. However, Theon got there first and delivered a sharp kick to the Kingslayer's ribs. "That was not wise, ser. Don't forget who you're speaking to," he snarled.

The men around them began to chant "kill him" at Robb, but Robb regained his composure and merely said, "No, Ser Jaime is not to be harmed. He has more value to us alive than he does dead, though I would love to end him myself. But my lord father never condoned the killing of men after a battle."

"A wise and honorable man," Ser Jaime said from his position on the ground.

Dany forced herself to be calm and speak. "Take him away and put him in chains."

"Do as my lady says," Robb commanded. "And be sure to put a guard around him. Lord Karstark will want his head on a pike."

"Aye. That he will," the Greatjon said as he led the Kingslayer off.

"Why would Lord Karstark want him dead?" Lady Catelyn asked looking puzzled.

Robb looked off into the woods with a serious expression on his face. "He killed them. Lord Karstark's sons, both Eddard and Torrhen, as well as Daryn Hornwood. That's where he mislaid his sword, in Eddard Karstark's neck. He was shouting for me the whole time, but they tried to stop him."

Dany closed her eyes and thanked the gods for Eddard, Torrhen, and Daryn. She mourned the loss of them for their families, but she was so relieved that Robb had returned to her. Lady Catelyn apparently felt the same way as she said, "They died doing their duty Robb. They were your guard. Grieve for them later. You've won a battle, but not the war. Riverrun is still surrounded."

"But what a battle!" Theon exclaimed. "The realm has not seen such a victory since Dany's ancestor's at the Field of Fire! We defeated the Lannisters ten to one. And we have other captives besides the Kingslayer including three of Lord Tywin's nephews!"

Dany felt a swell of pride that they had been granted such a victory. Lady Catelyn, however, seemed not as happy as she asked, "And what of Lord Tywin, Theon? Do you have him? Until you do the war is far from over."

Robb sighed and said, "My mother is right. We still have to free Riverrun. Theon, will you see Dany back to her litter? I've got to go see to my men before we march again." And with that he held her close once more, kissed her briefly but passionately, and left her yet again.

Theon was still frowning from Lady Catelyn's comments as he escorted Dany to her litter. Dany thought her good mother was being too harsh, yet she knew Lady Catelyn was under a great deal of stress. The Lannisters had her brother captive and held her childhood home in a state of siege. Still, Dany felt more confident than she had before. Robb had shown the Lannisters that he was not just a green boy. When they arrived at her litter, she squeezed Theon's hand and thinking back on the Kingslayer's words she said, "Teach the rest of Lannisters the meaning of my family's words."

He smiled his usual grin back her, "Fire and blood."

A/N: Sorry it's not very long, but I've got Dany narrating the next chapter as well. I hope to get it up by Thursday but I'm having a hard time going back to work on my post-surgery knee. Capacious amounts of pain are not conducive to writing so I'm not making any promises. I will try not to freak out and rewrite it three times like I did the last chapter. Feel free to read and review and thanks as always to everyone who has done so already and to everyone who is following this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real life has just really caught up with me in many unpleasant ways. Also, I just have not felt like working on the story with all the knee pain. I think the result would have been awful if I tried to work during my first full week back at work though. I'm going out of town for a funeral tomorrow so I don't know when the next update will be. I'll try to make it sooner than this though. Anyway, GRRM still owns everything, I'm just writing for fun, not for profit, so don't sue because I don't have anything anyways. And thanks to my beloved beta letseatcake who told me I had better post before I go out of town.

Daenerys VII

As they rode in the boat into Riverrun, Dany heard cries of "Robb" and "Winterfell" and "Tully" and even "Daenerys." Dany tried to maintain a smile on her face as she waved, but the effort cost her and she knew it cost Robb too. She was happy that they had liberated Riverrun and won another victory, but she still could not believe that Eddard Stark was dead. It made Robb's victories bittersweet. After all, freeing Lord Eddard was the main reason that they marched south.

As they passed under the walls and beneath an arch, Dany saw the guards of Riverrun and a man with auburn hair dressed all in blue and red that she assumed was Robb's uncle, the recently freed Ser Edmure Tully. When Ser Edmure spotted them, he commanded his men to bring their boats in and the guards stepped down into the water to oblige. Grey Wind vaulted out of their boat first, startling the guards, she heard Theon laugh about it as he assisted Lady Catelyn out of her boat. Robb lifted Dany into his arms and carried her to shore as though she weighed nothing at all.

Ser Edmure greeted his sister first, offering his condolences and swearing to bring vengeance to the Lannisters. Dany heard Lady Catelyn answer, "Will that bring Ned back to me?" Dany felt her eyes well up with tears yet again as she heard the pain in her good mother's voice. Dany felt very sympathetic to Lady Catelyn, and yet, Dany knew that if anything were to happen to Robb she would want vengeance regardless of the grief she felt.

Lady Catelyn then asked after her father, Lord Hoster Tully. When she heard that he was bedridden, she demanded to be taken to him at once and her brother obliged her. As Lady Catelyn walked off, one of the Tully guards asked if he could assist Robb.

"If you could show me to the godswoods I would be much obliged," her husband answered. "I need to cleanse myself after the battle and pray for my father."

The man nodded and then turned to her and said, "And you my lady, would you like an escort to your chambers? I am sure you are weary."

"No," she replied with a tired smile. "I shall go to the godswoods as well." She would pay respect to one of the best men she knew by praying to his gods, she thought it only fitting.

She and Robb were not alone in going to the godswoods. All of Robb's bannermen that held to the old gods followed them. Theon excused himself to go to the Great Hall, no doubt, Dany thought, to try to woe some kitchen maid into his bed for the night. Dany didn't begrudge him that as Theon was the least godly person she knew. Before they could go to the godswood, however, Ser Brynden Tully leaned over and whispered something to Robb. Dany could not make out what the Blackfish had said, but she saw Robb's frown as he said, "I see. We will have to call a council. I will pray first though."

When they entered the godswoods, Robb placed his longsword in the ground in front of the slender weirwood and helped Dany to kneel down before he knelt next to her. Behind them the others knelt after placing their own weapons into the earth. Dany closed her eyes and prayed to the old gods.

She thanked them for granting Robb his victories and for keeping Robb and Theon safe in the battle. She asked them that they grant them more victories over the Lannisters. She wondered briefly if she should pray for peace, but she knew in her heart that she did not want peace yet. Dany wondered what that said about her. She then turned her thoughts to Lord Eddard. She could picture his solemn face in her mind and she felt a pang in her heart when she realized that he had left this world forever. Who else would have fought Robert Baratheon for her life, let alone allow the daughter of his enemies to marry his heir? She would always be grateful for that and for the fact that he had never let her be ashamed of her heritage. He had never hid the truth of her father's madness from her and yet he taught her that her family had not been all mad. She would never forget the time he told her about her brother Rhaegar, how many other men would do that? She wished he could have lived longer, for the world needed more men like him, and she knew he would have liked to meet his first grandchild, but it was not to be. She asked that the old gods grant him peace and that they help Robb step up to take his place as Lord Stark.

Dany did not know how long they had been praying but she felt more at peace when Robb stood up and helped her to her feet. He sheathed his sword and when they turned, Lady Catelyn was standing in the godswood with tears in her eyes.

"Mother," Robb said as they walked over to her. "We must call a council. There are things to be decided."

"Your grandfather would like to see you and Daenerys," Lady Catelyn said. "He is very sick."

"I know, Mother, and I am sorry. Both for your sake and Lord Hoster's. Yet first we must meet. We've had word from the south. Renly Baratheon has claimed his brother's crown."

Dany heard everyone's shock as she tried to process that news. Lady Catelyn seemed surprised as well saying, "Renly? I had thought Stannis surely..."

"So did we all," Galbart Glover replied.

The war council met in the Great Hall where four large table had been arranged into a square. Ser Edmure sat at the head of the table as his father was too weak to attend. Next to him sat Ser Brynden and to the tables to their right and left sat the Tully's bannermen which included the ones that had marched with Robb as well ones that had just joined their cause such as Karl Vance, Ser Marq Piper, the new young Lord Darry, and Lord Janos Bracken who sat as far away from his enemy, Tytos Blackwood, as he could. Dany, Robb, and Lady Catelyn sat opposite of Ser Edmure with the northern lords at their side.

The men all argued through the night. After all there was much to discuss with two proclaimed kings in the land. Some of the men wanted to march directly to Harrenhal and finish the Lannisters for good. Still others wanted to strike for Casterly Rock to hit the Lannisters at home. Others wanted to wait at Riverrun as they now had control of the supply lines. Finally Lord Bracken said that they should join forces with King Renly.

At that Robb broke his silence, "Renly is not the king." Dany could not have agreed more, and yet she did not know what she hoped for.

After Robb declared that Renly was not the king, the arguments began once more. No one wanted to bend the knee to Joffrey, after all he killed Lord Eddard, and yet, would bending the knee to his younger brother be any better? After all Tommen was still a Lannister. Some of the men asked if they should declare for Stannis, but that was shot down, after all it was Renly that had the strength of Highgarden and Storm's End behind him. Marq Piper pointed out that if Renly had Highgarden and Storm's End all they needed was to add their strength to his as the Dornishmen and the Arryns were not like to aid the Lannisters, then it would be six of the kingdoms fighting the Lannisters.

Lady Catelyn had been quiet as well. She did not break her silence until Ser Stevron Frey suggested making peace with the Lannisters, which all the men shouted down. Lady Catelyn jumped in to say, "Why not a peace?"

Dany was too shocked for words. How could she want a peace with her lord husband's murderers? Before Dany could speak, Robb spoke again echoing Dany's thoughts. "My lady, they murdered my lord father, your husband," he said grimly. He drew his longsword and laid it on the table. "This is the only peace I have for them."

Dany heard the men bellow their approval, led by the Greatjon who was always Robb's most vocal supporter. Lady Catelyn waited until their was quiet and she began to persuasively speak for peace. She said that they marched south to free her husband, but he was dead and now amount of war could bring him back. That she just wanted her daughters back, to see her grandchild born in peace, to return to Winterfell to see her sons. She just wanted to spare more lives.

Dany was afraid for a moment that Lady Catelyn had persuaded them, but the Blackfish spoke up and said, "Peace is sweet, my lady... but on what terms?"

Lord Rickard said, "What did my sons die for if we turn back now?"

Then all the others took up the call. Even Lord Bracken and Lord Blackwood agreed that they could not forge peace now and no one wanted to bend the knee to any Lannisters.

Dany was relieved that she was not alone in her feelings. And yet as she listened to the men shouting again, she could only think that her husband would make a better king than any Baratheon or Lannister. She tried to push that errant thought out of her mind, she knew Robb did not march south to seek a crown, and yet she could not quite get the thought out of her head. She had never desired to be a queen, but she had been born a Targaryen and she knew that if Robert Baratheon had not rebelled, if the Lannisters had not killed her family, she would have been royal.

The Greatjon broke her out of her musings as he roared, "MY LORDS! Here is what I say to these two kings!" He spat. "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis. Why should they rule over me and mine? They know nothing of the north. The Others take the Lannisters, too. I've had a belly full of them." He drew his huge two handed greatsword across his shoulder. "We bowed to the dragons in the north, not the stag or the lion. And there sits the last dragon next to my liege lord!" He pointed at Dany and Robb with his blade. "There sit the only king and queen I mean to bend MY knee to, m'lords." At that he placed his sword at their feet and knelt.

"Aye," Lord Karstark said. "The Starks ruled the north and the Targaryens in the south, why not claim the iron throne?" He took his longsword from the scabbard and laid it at their feet as well. "My king, my queen."

Maege Mormont stood. "King Robb, Queen Daenerys," she declared and laid her spiked mace next to the swords.

And Dany saw the river lords rising as well, drawing their swords, kneeling at their feet, and swearing their allegiance to them. She knew she should be afraid, after all they had never asked for this and they were too young, but all Dany felt in her heart was joy and she knew she was smiling as the men shouted their names. She hoped the Lannisters could hear the cries.

A/N: It didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but I have a lot going on and I really just felt like I should update. I'll probably go back and clean it up a bit more but I am keeping the ending. I had planned from the beginning to have Robb and Dany go for the Iron Throne because I think they would have a very popular claim. And to answer the many reviewers, there will be dragons, but not now. I do have a plan for them though, just be patient as I don't think Dany currently has a way to hatch the eggs. This chapter takes us to the end of the first book, I'm thinking about expanding my POVs because this development will affect a lot more people, like the Lannisters, so let me know what your thoughts are on that. Oh and baby names because I am honestly torn and I've gone back and forth between three like a thousand times (Brandon, Eddard, or Rhaegar) so if you have a suggestion please let me know. And thanks for taking the time to read it. Hope you enjoyed!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I just want to start by sincerely apologizing for the long delay. After I got back from the funeral, I had to work quite a bit (read as no days off) to make up the time. Then I got strep throat so I missed more work and had quite an interesting fever. Then my first day back at work, I cracked a rib. But I'm still working because we just had someone quit with no notice right as season kicks in here at the beach. Anyway, I'm definitely not abandoning this story, but my real life sucks right now. So I do apologize profusely again and this chapter might not be my best but I wanted to get something out there so everyone would know I was still alive. And thank you to everyone for your suggestions. Oh, and I still don't own anything, that's all GRRM. I'm writing for fun, not profit, so don't sue me as I have nothing despite all the overtime.

Catelyn III

Robb and Daenerys's crowns had come straight from the forge of Riverrun. Their blacksmith had done good work, Catelyn thought as she admired the circlets. The man had given Robb's crown the hammered bronze runes of the First Men and the iron spiked longswords that had adorned the crowns of the Kings in the North. Whether his crown truly looked like the old king's crowns, none could say, but it matched the description that the Maester had given them. Daenerys's crown was the more traditional crown. It was a slender circlet of gold adorned with seven different gems, styled after the crown of Jaehaerys the Conciliator and worn by a number of other Targaryens, including most importantly Rhaenyra Targaryen, the only other female Targaryen to claim the crown. Catelyn thought it was a wise choice to have the northern crown for Robb and the other for Daenerys as it united the two aspects of their alliance. What Catelyn was not too pleased about was that it had been Daenerys idea. The sweet young girl that Catelyn had raised had all but disappeared now. All that was left was a queen who seemed quite determined to gain the throne for herself and Robb. That frightened Catelyn quite a bit.

Now the two young would be rulers sat in the Great Hall of Riverrun awaiting the prisoner. Robb was twisting his crown and pushing it around on his head as though the weight of it was too much. Catelyn supposed that it was not an easy thing to be a ruler at sixteen. However, Daenerys seemed quite composed and comfortable in hers, despite the fact that she due to give birth this month. As Catelyn watched, Daenerys leaned over and whispered something in Robb's ear and he stopped fidgeting. He sat up straighter and had Olyvar bring him his sword, which he lay bare across his knees. He also called Grey Wind to his side just in time for the captive to be brought in.

"Kneel before the king and queen, Lannister," Theon Greyjoy, who was clearly enjoying himself, barked as Ser Cleos Frey was brought in. The prisoner was the son of Lady Genna Lannister, but he had none of the fabled Lannister beauty, he looked like a Frey through and through to Catelyn, and his time as a prisoner had done nothing to improve him. He seemed nervous and did not seem to be able to stop blinking.

"Rise, Ser Cleos," Robb said sounding much older than he has. Catelyn supposed that his crown and this war had aged him quite a bit.

"Thank you, my lord," Ser Cleos said nervously rising to his feet.

"Your Grace," corrected Lord Umber, the Greatjon, ever eager to prove his loyalty to his newly chosen sovereigns.

"Yes, Your Grace," Ser Cleos said quickly. "My pardons." Catelyn wondered if they would have ever been able to get his cousin, the Kingslayer to agree to that title, she thought it was rather doubtful.

"My queen and I brought you from your cell to carry our message to your cousin Cersei Lannister in King's Landing," Robb said. "You'll travel under a peace banner with thirty of my best men to escort you."

The prisoner looked thrilled to hear it. "I should be most glad to bring your message to the queen."

At the last word, Grey Wind began to growl at Ser Cleos. The man gulped nervously, no doubt thinking of the men that the direwolf had killed during the last battle. Daenerys smiled as she reached out to touch Grey Wind and said, "We do not acknowledge the usurper's wife as queen here in Riverrun, Ser Cleos. And I am afraid that we are not granting you your freedom. You chose to fight under the banner of the lion at Whispering Wood, that makes you a Lannister, not a Frey, and therefore our enemy. We require your pledge, on your honor as a knight, that after you deliver our message you'll return with Lady Cersei's reply, and you shall resume your captivity."

His eyes still on Grey Wind, Ser Cleos instantly replied, "I do so vow."

"Every man in this hall has heard your vow," Catelyn's brother Ser Edmure Tully said from where he stood. "If you do not return, the whole realm will know you for a liar."

"I will do as pledged," Ser Cleos said shakily. "What is the message?"

"It is an offer of peace," Robb said as he stood and the crowd grew quiet. "Tell Cersei Lannister that if she meets these terms, I am willing be generous to her family and spare their lives."

Catelyn sought out Lord Rickard Karstark in the back of the hall, she knew that if there was man here that was against the end to the fighting, it would be him. But he stood still at the back of the hall, a cool smile on his lips. Catelyn realized that she must not have been present for a meeting, no doubt while she was tending to her father, because all of this seemed to have been rehearsed. She felt a swell of panic rise up in her as she realized that she had no idea what this offer was to be.

"Olyvar," Robb called. "Bring me the paper." The young squire hurried over and Robb sheathed his sword to hold the parchment. "First, my sisters must be released and transported to White Harbor. It is to be understood that Sansa's bethrothal to Joffrey Baratheon is at an end. When I receive word that my sisters have returned unharmed to Winterfell, I will release Cersei Lannister's cousins, the squire Willem Lannister and your own brother Tion Frey and give them safe conduct to Casterly Rock or wherever she desires them delivered. Secondly, my lord father's bones must be returned to us so that he may be laid to rest at Winterfell as he would have wished. The bones of the men who went south with him and died in King's Landing shall also be returned to us."

Catelyn felt the familiar pang in her heart at the thoughts of Ned's death. He had gone south, and just like his father and his brother before him, the only thing coming home were his bones. And now his heir wished to go to King's Landing as well. She could only pray that Robb was victorious and able to stop the cycle of the Stark men dying in King's Landing.

"Third," Robb continued, "my father's greatsword Ice will be delivered to my hand at Riverrun. Fourth, Cersei Lannister will command her father Lord Tywin to release the captives he took in the battle of the Green Fork of the Trident. When he does, I shall release my own captives, save for Jaime Lannister, who will remain my hostage for his family's behavior. And lastly, Joffrey Baratheon and his mother will henceforth relinquish their claims on the crown. They will be permitted to go into exile or join the Night's Watch or the Silent Sisters. My queen and I are willing to offer them their lives, something that they did not offer my father, but their reign is at an end. If they go willingly, we will be generous to the rest of their family, Lord Tywin will remain the Lord of Casterly Rock, though he will no longer be the Warden of the West. Joffrey's brother and sister will be allowed to remain free and no harm shall be done to them. We shall see that Myrcella makes a good marriage and Tommen can inherit Casterly Rock. They must acknowledge that it is our son who will sit the Iron Throne after us. Maester Vyman has drawn up our agreement. We also require the Lannisters to deliver us ten highborn hostages, to be mutually agreed upon, as a pledge of peace. They shall be treated as honored guests and as long as the peace is kept, I shall release two hostages a year. These are our terms. If she meets them, the fighting can stop, if not"- he whistled and Grey Wind moved forward from Daenerys snarling- "We shall march south and give her another Whispering Wood."

Catelyn was shocked to her core at the audacious demands, but the men in the Great Hall bellowed their approval. The men, led by the Greatjon began to chant Robb and Daenerys's names, screaming out "Targaryen" and "Stark" and "The Wolf King" and "The Dragon Queen." Grey Wind howled his approval.

Ser Cleos's face had turned to the color of sour milk. He managed to stutter out, "The queen, I mean Lady Cersei shall hear your message, my- Your Grace."

"Good," Daenerys said with a sly smile. "Ser Robin will see that you have a good meal and clean clothing. You ride at first light."

Ser Robin Ryger, the captain of the guard at Riverrun nodded in agreement and said, "It will be as Your Grace commands."

"Then we are done here," Robb said assisting Daenerys from her chair. The men in the hall all bent their knees as Robb and Daenerys left the Great Hall with Grey Wind prowling behind them. Catelyn hastened after them.

She caught up with them in the galley that led off the Great Hall where they were giving Olyvar their crowns and laughing with Theon. Catelyn did not know what bothered her more, that they were able to laugh after that peace offer, or that the offer had been made and was soon to be sent off the King's Landing.

It was Theon that acknowledged her first. "How do you think Cersei Lannister will like those terms, my lady?" he asked with a smile.

"We'll be lucky if she does not kill Ser Cleos for bringing them to her in the first place," Catelyn exclaimed.

"He's her couisin," Robb replied. "That's why we chose him for the job."

"How could you possibly offer those terms, Robb? You know Cersei Lannister will never take them. It's not an offer for peace at all. She and her son will never surrender the Iron Throne. Why even bother?" she asked.

"We know she won't accept, my lady," Daenerys replied with that same sly smile. "We just needed her distracted by the offer. We need her to think we want peace while we gather more support."

Catelyn once again felt like she was lost. Judging by the smiles on the faces around her there was much she did not know. Had they been withholding information from her? Perhaps this was the punishment for telling Robb that Daenerys should not be at meetings with me, now she was the one being left out of council. She managed to curb her anger and frustration in and simply said, "Explain."

"We did not want anyone going to King's Landing to know, but we have gained more supporters. Some forces from the Vale are marching to Riverrun right now," Robb said looking pleased.

"You heard back from Lysa?" Catelyn exclaimed. "I did not think she would wish to spare men."

"She didn't," Theon said with a smile. "Some of her bannermen did though and they are sending Robb and Dany ten thousand men. Apparently not all of the Vale is happy with your sister's rule. Some of the bolder men have turned against her. It is said that she is unhappy and that she has sequestered herself and her son in the Eyrie."

"I didn't want to tell you," Robb said looking rather sheepish. "I did not want to cause conflict between you and your sister. She is none too happy with me right now."

Catelyn was shocked, but she knew for certain that Lysa was a terrible ruler. It did not much surprise her that some of the older and more powerful bannermen had moved against her. "Is there more?"

Daenerys smiled and said, "We have received a raven from Doran Martell. He seemed surprised that I would seek the crown instead of supporting my brother, but he asks after our plans. It is not much, but it is a start. We also plan to send an envoy to the Iron Islands."

At that Catelyn gave a start and looked instantly at Theon. She hoped Robb was not foolish enough to send him back to his father. Balon Greyjoy could not be trusted. That was why Ned had taken Theon as a ward in the first place. If they lost Theon, they would have no hold over Balon Greyjoy to keep his behavior in check.

Theon seemed to understand her look. "Robb asked me if I wanted to go, but Dany asked me if I could stay with Robb for a while longer. She fears for him in battle without me watching him."

"We were hoping you could suggest a suitable replacement for envoy, mother," Robb said.

Catelyn was pleased that he had planned to include her in some of her plans, but she was still uneasy at the thought of those particular allies. "What do you plan to offer him? Surely you know that he wants to be a king himself," she asked hoping not offend Theon.

"We don't plan to offer him anything," Daenerys said with that infuriating smile. "We merely ask his assistance in defeating the Lannisters as allies. If he wants to crown himself King of the Iron Islands, he must do that himself. We hold no sway over the Ironborn. And I doubt Balon Greyjoy would take kindly to any offer insinuating that we do."

"We do not sow," Theon said in a smug way.

"What about your offer of peace to the Lannisters?" Catelyn said thinking of her girls in King's Landing. "Was your offer meaningless?"

"No, mother," Robb said looking stern. "I would end this war if I could, but we all know that the Lannisters won't surrender, and most of my men would leave if I really tried. I had to assure Lord Karstark that we would still get vengeance on the Lannisters before our meeting with Ser Cleos. And many of my men want to fight the Lannisters just as much. But if my offer does nothing else, perhaps it will begin negotiations to trade for the girls. I know you want them back."

Indeed she did, but truthfully Catelyn wanted an end to the fighting. She wanted to go home to Winterfell and see Bran and Rickon. But she wanted Arya and Sansa there as well. And she would like nothing more than to see Daenerys and Robb awaiting their first child happily and peacefully. But she might as well wish for Ned to still be alive, that was just as likely. Daenerys and Robb seemed determined to win the throne and there was nothing she could do but pray for her children's safety and try to help them win this war.

She composed herself and forced a smile onto her face. "I shall think on who would be best to send to Pyke. For now I would like to be with my father." Truthfully, she needed time to think to herself and conquer her fears. Everything felt like it was changing too fast, at least her father still needed her even if Robb did not. It seemed it was on his way to truly being a king.

A/N: Next chapter will be the birth. Thank you to everyone who suggested a name. And as to expanding the POVs, I think I might add one or two from Tyrion as I think I'd like to show some King's Landing but he definitely won't be a frequently used POV character. I just hope I can write him. I hope everyone enjoyed. I will try to update sooner, I've just got to get back into a routine of writing. And we will hear about Viserys and Renly and Stannis. That's all coming up. I just thought I had enough in this chapter. Thanks for reading!


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